Blood Moon Rising
by AnonymousFireTruck
Summary: This is the sequel to Deep In The Kumungu and I suck at summaries. Can Rengar finally uncover the truth behind his father's disappearance? What dark machinations are in play during their Festival of Fire? Can it be stopped? We shall see. To be safe, rated M for language, probably gore-ish scenes and adult imagery implications. No lemons. Riot owns all characters and skins.
1. Prologue

On the southern coast of Ionia, a lone woman stands staring to the sea. Her hair and tattoos glow with the light of the moon.

"Still waiting here I see?" said a man from behind her. She slowly turns around and readies her crescent shaped blade at him.

"Who are you?" asked Diana. She could see that the man is tall, sturdy of build and is wearing what seems to be a ceremonial mask. In the moonlight she could see vapours of red emanating from the mask.

"I'm an envoy of the moon just like you."

"The Lunari do not wear masks such as that. I'll ask again, who are you? Don't make me ask a third time." threatened Diana.

"Have you ever heard of the Blood Moon? And the curse that comes with it?" he asked.

"I see. You're that man." replied Diana, lowering her blade. "As much as I want to, I cannot join you just yet. There is an errand I must complete."

"I can guarantee that the Marai will not arrive before the Blood Moon comes to pass. They are plenty capable."

Diana stared at him sceptically.

"Diana, soon the rivers will run red in reflection of the moon. Don't deny the moon her will now, especially not the bloody moon." coaxed the man as he extended his hand.

Diana just turned around and stared at the moon. It seemed to shine a particularly bright stream of light onto the man as though giving her blessing. Sighing, Diana turned and took his hand.

"The Moon has judged you worthy, but do not presume to be above me. I will help you but threaten me again and I'll slice you in half." warned Diana.

The man just smiled as red mist enveloped her.

* * *

A lone elderly man sat in his room atop his Clock Tower in the once great city of Urtistan. For once his mind is in the right time, the present. A lone man encroaches on his isolation and bowed respectfully. The man wore a white porcelain mask and had a mist of red surrounding him.

The elderly man just sighed as he sat with his back facing the intruder.

"So it's time. I accept your offer, though not of my will. This is what must be and what must always have been. However, heed my warning. For what must always have been must always be. Your pride will be your undoing."

The man just smiled without saying a word as he walked to the still-sitting elderly man and placed a hand on his head and the red mist enveloped the elderly man.

* * *

On the coast of the Shadow Isles, a boat just moored and its passengers have stepped onto the cursed land. Led by a cloaked woman, the group made their way to a large cave.

Everyone seemed excited for they were about to meet the god that they worship. All except one lone hooded man who fell to the back of the group.

In the midst of their excitement, that man slinked away into the shadows as the rest of the group delved further into the cave.

At the entrance of a particularly large cavern, the man stopped. The rest of the group entered but it seemed like he was content with observing from the outside.

Once inside, everyone removed their hoods and each one of them had a look of sheer excitement as they gazed around and awaited eagerly for their god's arrival.

The still cloaked woman, finally removed her garments to reveal a scantily dressed woman in tight black leather. She had what seemed like extra appendages coming out of her back as she raised every single one of them into the air.

"Everyone! It's time! Are you ready to meet our Lord?" called the woman.

Her question was met by cheers from her followers and eager expressions.

"Oh Lord Vilemaw! Dinner is served!" sang the woman creepily.

This line was met with confusion from the group, as the previous joyous atmosphere turned into one of doubt and fear. One by one, they realised the implication of the statement.

"Dinner? Surely she doesn't mean us?" said the ones in disbelief. Some other screamed and fled, but they didn't get far before Elise wrapped them all into cocoons. There were then the odd few who welcomed Vilemaw to consume them.

One by one, the cultists were offered up to Vilemaw and one by one they were dropped to the ground dead and soon the ground was littered with corpses.

The cavern was quiet after the meal, and Vilemaw went back to sleep awaiting his next meal.

Suddenly, a slow clap emerged from the darkness and Elise turned her head to the source. A masked man walked up slowly clapping.

"Are you here to give yourself to our Lord Vilemaw?" she asked.

"No, unfortunately not. I actually came here for you." replied the man.

Elise groaned as she asked, "Oh, they sent you didn't they. What does Evaine want now? I knew getting in with that group of posers was going to be troublesome."

When the man didn't respond, Elise grew impatient and demanded, "Well? Out with it! What does Evaine want? Hello?"

The man just replied "Come with me."

"Yes yes fine, whatever, let's just get this over with. I'll come, now tell me what the bloody hell Evaine wants!"

"You." Was all he said, as red smoke billowed out around Elise until she was enveloped completely.

After a moment of silence, the man broke it as he called out to no-one in particular, "Come out young assassin. I know you're there."

Momentarily, a hooded man walked out from the shadows, blade drawn.

"Who are you and what is your association with the Black Rose. Depending on your answer I might spare your life."

"I am in no way shape or form associated with the Black Rose. Who I am is not of concern but I do have information about a certain general who is definitely of your concern. Talon."

Talon took an immediate step back and lowered himself to a defensive position.

"What do you know?"

"I know the whereabouts of your precious general, as well as what happened to him and who was responsible. All questions you need answering, am I wrong?"

"Name your price, or do you prefer to be tortured?" threatened Talon.

"My price is easy. Your service in a menial task. You won't be doing anything out of the ordinary either.

"You'll give me the information, if I kill someone for you? What's the catch?" inquired Talon, suspiciously.

"There's no catch, but even if there was, what difference would it make. We both know you have no choice but to accept. You have no answers to any of your questions nor any conclusive leads. That is why you are here investigating the members of the Black Rose, is it not?"

Talon could feel the man's grin from beneath the mask. It was the air of confidence given off by a man who knows he has gotten what he wants. He hates being in such a powerless position.

"Fine." growled Talon, unable to refuse.

The man held out his hand for Talon to shake, "It's a deal then. I'll just borrow you for a little while."

Talon ignored the handshake, and sighing, the man lowered his hand and red smoky tendrils wrapped themselves around him too.

* * *

Outside the Vilemaw cave, the masked man headed to his next recruit. On the shores of the Shadow Isles, he called out, "Heed my call, oh Spirit of Vengeance!".

Nothing happened. He was about to try again, but then green smoke started coalescing into a humanoid form. One of a woman, with multiple spears through her torso.

"Mortal, why do you call upon me? I sense that you hold no grudges against any soul in this world. Well perhaps one, but you would not seek me for vengeance against your own soul." stated the spirit.

"Perhaps I don't, but I know for certain that you do. Don't you remember where we are?" asked the man.

After a few moments of silence, the memories of that fateful day rushed back into Kalista's mind. She had spent so long fulfilling the vengeance of other souls, that she had neglected to complete her own.

"Where is he? I know you know mortal." demanded Kalista.

"I'll tell you, if you do something for me."

"What is it?"

"I need a certain Warden and his Lantern."

"Then you're a fool. The Chain Warden is stronger than I, and will flay all souls indiscriminately. The only difference is the amount of pleasure he receives."

"His Lantern is filled with the souls of those he damned and each one of them roars vengeance against their torturer. If you obtain his Lantern, you obtain an army."

"Easier said than done, how do you suppose I go about getting his Lantern?" asked Kalista.

"Like this." replied the man, as red misty fog surrounded Kalista.

* * *

In the dungeons of a ruined castle, the walls were decorated with gruesome bodies hanging from meat hooks, body parts of various degrees of decay, strewn randomly across the floor, blood stained everywhere and rotting guts and flesh provided the stench that could drive a living soul mad. In this dungeon where a monster made his home, a cacophony of screams pierced the walls.

Inside, stood a robed figure holding a scythe and lantern attached by a chain of bone. He had a floating spectral skull with three bone tendrils curling back as a substitute for hair and eerie green mists and fire surrounded the skull and his neck. The rest of his body was still spectral but had form, though still a translucent ghostly green. His weapons glowed ominously as they floated around him.

He moved to his most recent victim inspecting his work. The soul had been tormented brutally and thoroughly and is now unresponsive and numb. The Chain Warden hated when souls became like that. It meant he needed to find new souls to torment and torture.

Sucking the soul back into his lantern, he took the spectral key hanging from his waist and locked the lantern.

As he left the castle to find himself a new soul, he felt a familiar yet different soul.

"Kalista show yourself. I am not in the mood for your petty games. Unless you would take the place of my next victim." he said coldly.

As the spirit walked in front of him, Thresh couldn't help but be surprised. Kalista did not look like herself. She was hunched and wore a mask, and where she had once been a green apparition, she was now made of a red misty aura. Even the spears in her back were red and she had her now white hair tied back in a ponytail.

Thresh could see Kalista's soul distorted and estranged. He asked her, "What happened to you? That time of month?" he quipped snarkily.

She didn't show any form of reaction. Instead she just lunged and threw one of her spears at Thresh. He easily knocked it away with his scythe. As she kept sending spears his way, he kept deflecting them with his scythe and chain. Kalista halted her attacks for a suspicious second, but before Thresh could question it, he took the opportunity and threw his scythe. It hooked Kalista right around the neck and so he pulled her in. Grasping her neck, he brought his spectral skull right in front of her face and snarled.

"I will find great pleasure in torturing you." As he stared into her glowing red eyes, he noticed something was amiss. Her eyes were blank, empty. As though this was just a shell or a puppet. There was a nagging feeling that this was too easy, even for her standards.

Before he could let go, he felt a great pain shoot through his chest. Looking down, he found the source of the pain. Kalista had forced one of the spears in her back, through her chest and into Thresh. The ghostly spear now pierced through Thresh's spectral form completely and he felt paralysed.

His spectral body felt heavy as he couldn't move at all, but watch helplessly as Kalista got to work. She slowly and purposefully reached down to Thresh's bone-hemmed robe and plucked the spectral key from his bone belt.

"No... Stop..." he croaked out of desperation but Kalista was unresponsive.

As she took the key and put it inside the padlock of the lantern, she turned the key. The lock opened and immediately all of the souls within the lantern burst out.

With his source of strength dwindling to nothing, Thresh grew weaker and weaker as the impalement of the red spear became more and more painful. Without the protection from the power of his souls, Thresh roared in agony as red mist erupted from both wounds in his chest and back.

Kalista held his empty lantern up in front of him as his soul waned and darkness overtook him. The last thing he saw was the evil grin of Kalista's white porcelain mask.

* * *

In the city of Bilgewater, a remote pub was bustling with the common activities of drunkards and gamblers. A man with a pointed cowboy hat sat at a gambling table seemingly deep in concentration for the game. Truthfully he was thinking of all the things he could buy with the money he was making off of unsuspecting drunkards. Every hand would be dealt but his conniving ways know no bounds. He was a master at sleight of hand and nobody has caught on, though people did start having suspicions. Right now he has a pile of cash in front of him as he smirked at the people he's playing with. They all had furious scowls because he just won another hand and now he was wondering when these people would finally snap and attack him.

It didn't take very long but he was prepared. A hand later, he won and the other players literally threw themselves across the table. He threw the cards he held in his hand as they glowed gold. One card for each attacker. As soon as they made contact, magical golden chains shot from the cards and wrapped themselves around the targets tightly. It lasted long enough for him to gather his earnings and leave the bar. When the men were free they chased him only to find him to have disappeared. The only thing they could find was a joker card lying on the ground.

As soon as the man arrived at his destination via teleportation, he set his earnings down and watched it happily. This was a good night.

"Congratulations on your escape." said a voice in the darkness.

The man just readied another golden card before he slowly turned around. When he did he saw a man wreathed in a red aura, not menacingly but still eerie nonetheless. What was menacing though was the white mask that the man wore. It replaced his face with a permanent demonic expression.

"That was beautifully executed Tobias." the red man said.

Upon hearing the name, he froze. Nobody was supposed to know his name. None except for his old partner.

"Who are you?" he asked cautiously.

"Just an employer looking to hire someone of your particular skill set." the man mused airily.

"What's the job? I'll decide the price when I know what I'm gon' be doin'."

"I can't tell you the job until you agree. But I believe this will convince you. If you help me, I'll pay you with this." The man held up a small gemstone between his index finger and thumb, it was not large by any means but Tobias knew exactly what it was. They had tried to steal one before, with his old group. But that ended with Malcolm in prison and the others dead. It was a Red Diamond. Those things were the most expensive gemstones in the world. This one stone could have him living in luxury for the rest of his life. Ten times over.

"I'm in." he said.

The man just smiled. The Red Diamond was ominously the same shade of blood red as the aura that surrounds him but Tobias paid it no mind. He held out his hand and said simply, "A pleasure doing business with you Tobias."

Tobias just grinned and took the hand while saying, "The name's Fate. I don't go by that other one anymore." And as he shook the hand, his vision grew dark and collapsed onto the ground with the red aura surrounding him as well.

* * *

In a lonely inn, in a remote little village, a single man sat at the bar drinking. The inn was empty save for that one man and the bartender. The village wasn't particularly populated, and just getting by with their harvests. It seemed like a happy little village.

"So, this is where you've been drinking away your sorrows huh?" spoke one stranger. The bartender was visibly spooked by the sudden appearance of a masked man, but the other customer seemed entirely unfazed. He just carried on drinking.

"How 'bout I buy you a drink then." suggested the man as he motioned for the bartender to bring them some sake.

The other man ignored him completely and stood up to leave. For a man who's been drinking so much sake, he was surprisingly quick and steady on his feet. However, just as he reached the doorway, the masked man spoke up.

"If you leave now, you won't find out who killed Elder Roku." taunted the masked man.

In a movement as fast as the wind, the samurai unsheathed his katana and held it to the man's neck from behind.

"Be _very_ careful what you say next. What do you know of me?" asked the samurai.

"Oh I know plenty, but that's not important. What you'll be most interested in is the identity of your master's killer... Yasuo." replied the masked man.

The samurai frowned as he debated internally whether to kill this man right now or not. He decided not.

"Tell me what you know and you'll maybe walk out of here alive."

"Ah but that's not the way the world works my friend." replied the man as he took another sip of sake. "I'll tell you what I know about this wind-style user, including who and where _she_ is and in return I want something from you."

If Yasuo was shocked to learn that the culprit was female, he did well to hide it. The only giveaway was the slight widening of his eyes and the subtlest of hitches in breathing.

"What do you want from me then?"

"Just your service in a small matter of mine. Nothing you should worry about too much." replied the man nonchalantly.

"And if I say no?" asked Yasuo

"Well if you refuse then you refuse. Only, you'll probably never find out who it was that killed Elder Roku..."

"Then I don't have much choice do I? Fine I'll help you with this matter of yours and in return you give me the information I want. If you don't fulfil your end of the bargain, I'll kill you." threatened Yasuo.

"Very well. Although I highly doubt that last part." dismissed the masked man. He took another mouthful of sake as red fog enveloped Yasuo.

* * *

In a prison cell of the most secure prison in Ionia, a masked man danced to a tune he hummed. He had been etching roses into the walls for every day he's been locked up. Now the walls have all been completely filled and Jhin had moved to etching on the ground. He usually has two guards to watch him, after all the so-called atrocities that he called his art was not understood by anyone. Today however, the assigned guards were all missing and he knew something was about to happen.

"Khada Jhin. Finally, the man himself. In the flesh. The one behind all those beautiful pieces of artwork." spoke a voice from somewhere in the room, not visible through his bars.

"You speak as though you understand my art. I think I should kill you for lying. Don't presume to understand my art, nobody understands my art. It's sad really, since Art is everywhere and will always exist. I just happen to prefer it to be more... red... and explosive."

"Let's make a deal then. You help me and I'll let you out, free to make as much... Art... As you wish."

Jhin laughed at that statement. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This sounded a little too good to be true.

"And what is the catch? Because right now you're more appealing to me as a canvas than a saviour." he asked in a mocking tone.

"Just that you kill the ones I will ask you to kill. What you do to them is up to you. Think of it as a... commission of sorts..."

Jhin laughed once more at that, this was the best thing he's ever heard. Nobody had ever understood his art and now someone was asking him for commissions!

"I will accept. Though I am curious. Do you want to be my art? You are unsettlingly eerie and confident. It bothers me. I think you will be an abstract sculpture, perhaps moving some limbs. Probably removing your head…"

"Oh, as fun as that sounds, I think you'll thoroughly enjoy killing the person I have in mind. After all, he helped lock you in here."

Jhin's eyes widened behind his mask as the man just opened the prison door and held out his hand for a hand shake.

"I look forward to our... cooperation." said Jhin accepting the handshake as red mist flooded the prison cell.

* * *

A couple of hours after Khada Jhin's escape, Ionia is in upheaval. As much as Irelia tried to keep the incident quiet, rumours and news travel faster than wildfire, and soon enough, everyone's heard that Ionia's most notorious mass murderer is once again on the loose.

All members of the Ionian military including the guards as well as the Kinkou Order have been sent out with the order of apprehending the murderer known as Khada Jhin, A.K.A. the Golden Demon.

"Do you see him, Shen?" asked Akali. As the Eye of Twilight, Shen sees all imbalances between the Spirit realm and the mortal realm. An event such as this would undoubtedly have repercussions on the overall balance. As such, Shen has taken to meditating atop the roof of the Kinkou Monastery in an attempt to locate the aberration, whilst Akali and Kennen stood guard. Every living being has a spirit and every spirit has an accompanying aura, and Shen is able to see these through his mind's eye. His training has allowed him to gauge the general direction and distance of a spirit he's familiar with and with an aura as malicious as Jhin's, it would be impossible to miss. And yet, Shen was now having a difficult time locating it.

"Something's wrong." Shen suddenly spoke up. "It's as if there's something shrouding Jhin's spirit, I can't get a read on him. Each time I try, it's like there's a red haze blocking my view."

"So now what? We need to find him fast before he starts another murder spree!" urged Kennen.

"His location may be shrouded but his aura is so strong it slipped through whatever was covering him. It's an undeniable thirst for vengeance and I have a feeling I know who he's after." said Shen, standing up and staring into the distance.

Suddenly, Shen drew his Spirit Blade with one hand and with the other, he held up his index and middle fingers and concentrated his Ki. A light purple mist wafted around his Spirit Blade and grew to envelope the Triumvirate. Akali and Kennen both recognised it as his Spirit's Refuge Technique, and seeing it, they drew their weapons and prepared for a fight. Seconds later, a large bullet impacted the mist and was subsequently stopped.

 _*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*_

Very rarely does Shen ever get surprised by anything, but these three claps immediately roared danger in Shen's mind. He immediately redoubled his efforts on his protective shroud and another bullet was stopped right in front of him.

"Impressive, oh Eye of Twilight. Very impressive indeed!" spoke out a male voice. Shen looked down and saw a masked man standing in the courtyard of the Kinkou Monastery. He didn't sense anything at all from the man, it was like he either had no spirit or it was hidden by some powerful force. He guessed it was the latter and realised that Jhin must then either be an accomplice of or is under the control of this powerful entity, and his instincts told him that this was not an enemy they could take on alone. His suspicions were proven right the moment he saw red smoke advance towards them.

"Akali, Kennen, retreat. We can't fight this." stated Shen, although the two seemed hesitant.

"Now, now, let's not leave just yet! We should have some fun first!" called out the man from the courtyard, as a third bullet was fired and also stopped by his Spirit's Refuge. The red mist had reached them and is beginning to surround Shen's Spirit's Refuge.

"Go! Now! I'll hold them off!" repeated Shen. Shen rarely gives orders of retreat, but when he does, it's best to listen. Akali and Kennen both know this so immediately they retreated out the back before the red smoke could entirely envelope them. They retreated into the forest, after sparing one glance back at Shen but he was completely surrounded by the smoke now, so they just ran.

Inside his Spirit's Refuge, Shen was beginning to sweat from the amount of energy it took to try and maintain his Spirit's Refuge. It was a war of attrition between his protective mist and the invasive red smoke, and he was on the losing side. Slowly, the red smoke inched closer and closer despite his resistance. It was a slow advance and it took all of Shen's efforts to keep himself from being overwhelmed. So when the fourth shot was fired, his refuge could not hold and although it missed, the bullet tore through the protective barrier allowing the red smoke to flood in. Right before he was overwhelmed, he tried to anchor his spirit to the Spirit Blade.

"Valiant effort though. Don't worry this will only be temporary." mused the masked man. "Now, as for the other two..."

Akali and Kennen darted through the forest in an attempt to reach Karma, or anyone who could help. As soon as they sensed the presence of danger, they stopped. It felt like it was coming from all around them. Suddenly a projectile was fired and the pair barely dodged out of the way. It seemed to be a glob of web as it hit a tree trunk and stuck fast.

"Now is this any way to treat a guest?" said a man walking into view.

"What have you done with Shen?" demanded Akali.

"Oh nothing, I'm simply borrowing him for a bit is all. Just like I'll be borrowing you two." replied the man airily.

Akali, responded by throwing a kama at his head but to her shock and horror, a figure flashed in front of him and deflected the kama.

With a gasp, Akali tried to backstep but Shen was too fast and immediately dashed behind her and pinned her to the ground.

"Shen! Snap out of it! Shen! What have you done to him?!" shouted Akali as she struggled to escape from Shen's hold.

Kennen threw a Thundering Shuriken at Shen but it was deflected by a simple manoeuvre of his Spirit Blade. In that second when his back was turned, a sticky projectile hit him in the back and fastened him to the ground.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. I told you I'm only going to borrow you for a while." laughed the man as red smoke surrounded everyone.

* * *

Returning to the Kinkou Monastery, the masked man stood in the courtyard surrounded by his newly acquired assistants. He shrouded the entire monastery in red as he relished in his delight. The first of six seals was broken.

"It's a shame we couldn't get The Kumungu and Shurima seems to be out of the question now that the Ascended have returned... It would've been easier if we controlled those entrances too. Alas, it is but a slight hindrance. The scouting parties did their jobs, the cavalry is soon to arrive. The Blood Moon Prophecy will be fulfilled!"

* * *

 **A/N: Alrighty! So after a year of writing and rewriting (thanks to riot's lore overhaul), I finally have a good grasp on how I want this story to play out. This is going to be a mix of both old and new lore as well as some added fluffs and details of my own.**

 **Unfortunately, the Blood Moon masks are really hard for me to describe so I'm gonna have to ask you as the readers to look up these masks and imagine it for yourselves. Sorry!**

 **I should be posting these once a week, hopefully, so I hope anybody who does read my work enjoy it. As always, criticisms are always welcome, and yes I know this prologue is very much on the cliché side but it seemed to me to be the best way for this to play out.**

 **Anyway, Peace \o**


	2. Chapter 1: Preparations

It was morning when Rengar woke up. The sun was shining, beaming through his window. The streaks of sunlight landed on Nidalee, still asleep nestled into his chest. He had an arm around her as he slowly stroked her glistening black hair. She was purring lightly as she slept and Rengar couldn't help but smile.

It's been nearly a year since that demon attacked the Kumungu, and now it's almost time to fulfil his promise. Winter is ending and as it leaves, the Lunar Revel will begin. The Festival of Fire in Ionia will be taking place soon and this time, Rengar will be there together with Nidalee.

Nidalee stirred as she slowly woke up and she was greeted with Rengar's grinning face staring right back at her.

"What's so funny?" she asked with a small frown.

"Just admiring the view." he replied with a smirk. "We should get up, we need to meet with Ivern today."

"Mmm later. Right now..." she deliberately slowed her speech as she climbed fully on top of Rengar, "I think it's my turn to admire the view." She said with a seductive grin, as she slid a hand down his chest and stroked his abs.

Rengar wrapped his arms around her and swung her to the side, eliciting a small yelp from the huntress. He grinned as he towered over her.

"Be careful what you wish for." He chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her neck.

* * *

A few hours and a river bath later, Rengar and Nidalee arrived at Ivern's cavern. Zyra was around tending to all the plant life while Ivern and Daisy were playing with the animals.

Ivern looked up to find Rengar and Nidalee walking in and a smile immediately plastered his face.

"To what do I owe the pleasure? It's not every day that my favourite cats number 1 and 2 come to visit." inquired Ivern.

"I've come to ask for some information. How do we get to Ionia?" Asked Rengar.

Ivern's smiled faltered slightly but not enough for anyone to notice.

"Ah yes the Lunar Revel. I remember the humans love that time of year there. It's a little difficult to get there because you'd have to reach a port first and then catch a boat to Ionia."

The three of them sat down in Ivern's grove surrounded by plants and animals. Ivern himself was playing with a snake that was wrapped around his arm. It was a King Snake and apparently it was the actual king of the snakes.

"That would take too long, how did my dad get to Ionia? He would always leave only a couple of days before the festival."

"Your father used something called a teleportation stone. The magic infused in it would teleport you to a set location. Hold on I have something for you."

He waved his hand and grew a small tree out from the ground. In the trunk of the tree, there was a hole with a grey stone inside. It was engraved with runes all around which glowed purple. Ivern took it out of the tree and presented it to Rengar.

"This one belonged to me. It will take you to Omikayalan." Ivern paused for a moment then hummed, "There may or may not be some misunderstanding if you suddenly appear there though... Ah yes take this little guy with you."

Ivern wagged his finger at the little guy and told him what he needed to tell the inhabitants of Omikayalan. It nodded and unfurling from Ivern's arm, slithered over to Rengar.

"He's called Serp. He'll be taking a holiday at Omikayalan while you guys enjoy the festival. Don't forget to bring him back with you unless he wants to stay there." Ivern chuckled.

"Are you coming with us?" Nidalee asked.

"Oh I would love to. I haven't been back to Omikayalan in centuries. However there is someone I need to see. I'll probably be gone by the time you get back. Don't be alarmed."

 _Centuries? I'll need to ask him about it later._

"Okay then, we'll leave tomorrow."

"Oh yes, here take this." Ivern skipped over to a little bush and pulled something out. Two somethings. They were water skins.

"These were made from the hide of a shagyak. Some hunters killed it long ago. The stopper is fashioned from its tusks. I've filled it with your favourite catnip for the celebrations. As I recall you can't have a festival without drinking."

Rengar roared in laughter as he took the skins. "That you can't. Thanks old man."

* * *

Meanwhile in Ionia...

Inside a temple shrouded in shadows, a man sat cross-legged in a meditating stance. He wore silver armour with red cloth beneath. He also wore a helmet, grilled where his mouth is and had slits where his eyes are.

The sound of running footsteps was heard as another man, clad in black cloth armour approached and stopped next to him, bowing in respect.

"Master, there is a letter addressed to you."

The man in red slowly opened his eyes revealing the bright red glow and took the letter. He then held his hand up in a dismissive gesture and the man in black left.

He inspected the letter, just in case but seeing the cursive writing of his name at the front, he knew who the sender was.

 _Why would_ _she, of all people, send me a letter?..._ _She must be desperate..._

Opening the letter he read the contents:

 _Zed_

 _Know that if I am resorting to ask this of you then it is of the utmost importance. As you know_ _a month ago Khada Jhin escaped his prison. Unfortunately he is not the only one missing. The Kinkou Order is in panic. Shen, Kennen and Akali have disappeared and the temple is surrounded by a dark, powerful aura and all members have been instructed to stay away._

 _I feel an evil disturbance coming from the temple and I fear that history may be repeating itself. Loathe as I am to admit this but you are by far the most skilled at reconnaissance in Ionia. Please investigate the temple because you know as well as I, that should what almost happened all those years ago come to pass, then even your life is forfeit. Our differences are meaningless in the face of such a fate. With the Blood Moon so close, I fear the worst._

 _~ K_

Zed sighed as he got up. He attached his bracers and tested the retractable arm blades, tucked away the letter and set out.

 _Why do I have to help those fools. Tch._

It wasn't far from the Shadow Monastery to the Kinkou Monastery, especially for Zed. Slinking through the shadows of the trees, he drew nearer to his destination and he began to sense an awful aura emanating from the direction he's heading towards.

He stopped atop a tree branch to gain a better vantage point to investigate the temple. It was difficult to see but he could've sworn that the temple had a pale red glow to it.

Unbeknownst to him, inside the temple a masked hooded man had his hands up in front of him commanding a stream of red charms. These pieces of paper formed a circle and as the red mist swirled into the center, an image appeared. The image was one looking downwards at Zed from behind him as he perched on top of the tree branch.

"Let's go greet your brother shall we?" asked a voice in the darkness.

* * *

The monastery seemed abandoned, after all there was nobody there. As such Zed deemed it safe to have a look inside. The moment he set foot within the perimeter, he had to jump a step back in order to avoid a shuriken aimed at him. The shuriken lay embedded into the ground with little red sparks dancing around the metal.

 _It's that little rat... But something's off..._

He looked around for the attacker until his eyes landed on the three figures standing atop the roof. They were enveloped in a red mist and wore white masks of different facial expressions. The three of them jumped down from the roof and began to walk towards Zed.

Zed was on edge. These three were undoubtedly the Kinkou Triumvirate but their auras are far too different. Also they are acting strangely. Usually they'd have tried to kill him multiple times by now, not walking slowly towards him.

"What a pleasant surprise. What, pray tell, does the Master of Shadows want with the Kinkou Order?"

"Come out you coward, what have you done to them?"

"Oh nothing severe. I'm merely borrowing their bodies for a bit. Why do you care anyway? Well whatever the reason, you'll be dead soon enough." The voice rang in the air as it seemed to come from all directions. It was difficult to pin down where the voice came from.

"I do believe that these three hold quite the vendetta against you. Go get 'em boys... And girl." amended the man.

Instantly the three ninjas lurched forward towards Zed. Shen was wielding both of his blades, Ionian steel in his right hand, and the spirit blade in his left. Shen attempted a diagonal cut with the steel blade but Zed dodged it easily. It was followed by more slashes with both blades but a combination of dodges, blocks and parries meant that Zed was left unharmed.

Soon Kennen added his lightning shurikens into the mix. Zed was doing pretty well evading both Shen and Kennen's attacks, until Shen attacked with both his swords simultaneously. Zed was forced to block with both his arm blades but as his arms were occupied Kennen threw a shuriken straight into his back. Although the shuriken itself did little damage as the cut was shallow and barely pierced his armour. The main issue was the lightning. The red bolts of plasma spread throughout Zed's body and his body tensed. This caused him to drop his guard for just a moment but it was enough for Shen to use his swords to push Zed's arms wide leaving his chest open for a powerful kick.

Zed was thrown backwards and rolled along the ground, reeling from the kick. He was dazed but he forced himself to rise. Sensing a projectile, he combat rolled to the side to narrowly dodge a kama which replaced his head at the spot on the ground.

An instant later a woman in a white robe with red decorations rushed to the kama. In the same movement, she tried to dropkick Zed whilst picking up the kama in the process, however Zed had already seen this move performed before, and easily twisted his body to the side to avoid the strike. He grabbed her leg, spun her around and launched her at a tree.

She tried to get up as she smashed a small cloth bag onto the ground. It erupted in a cloud of red dust as she disappeared within. At that moment a streak of lightning arced across the field straight towards Zed. He narrowly dodged the blast as he threw a shuriken back at Kennen. He wasn't let a moment of reprieve however as another shuriken wreathed in red sparks flew towards him. He wouldn't be able to dodge it in time so instead he chose to block it with his arm blade. The contact allowed the lightning to trace along the metal of his arm blade and propagate through his armour. The jolt from the shock was enough to stun Zed momentarily. Before the enemy was able to take advantage of this time however, Zed melded into the darkness and finding Shen's shadow, he took it over. Usually he'd be able to force the shadow to strike its owner mercilessly, but upon attempting that here, he felt unnatural resistance. The red mist concentrated around the shadow and he felt a threat emanating from it. Immediately Zed withdrew from the shadow, reappearing on one knee.

 _That man's giving them more power..._

Seeing that he could not win this fight, he chose to retreat instead. Akali dashed towards him and threw a kama but he had already melted into the shadows. As he reappeared a few metres away, still on one knee, he tried to catch his breath for a moment. He didn't get the chance as he instantly felt someone's aura behind him and instinctively he slunk back into the shadows just as Shen swung his sword down. Zed's body was replaced by a shadow clone and Shen's sword passed straight through. From a distance Zed commanded his clone to slash at Shen and he wasn't quite fast enough to fully dodge. The blade of shadow slightly chipped the mask that Shen wore.

Zed decided to stay in the shadows longer and move further away lest the Kinkou Triumvirate chase him down. Although it was physically draining, he persevered. Feeling like he made it a safe distance away, he appeared out of the shadows and began to walk slowly.

Zed chose not to return back to his monastery because the situation at hand was as feared. The Blood Moon is rising and the storm is coming.

Regaining his energy, Zed expertly hopped through shadows and utilised backstreets to let him reach his destination sooner and without detection. Finding the residence he wanted, he transported himself through the shadows to get inside. He found a woman kneeling in meditation as twin jade dragons circled each other in the Mantle of Decorum on her back.

Sensing his arrival she turned around to meet him. Even though she was expecting him, she still felt uneasy being in the same room as him.

"Found them." he said brusquely.

"Are they alright?" she asked.

"No. You were right, the Curse of the Blood Moon has taken them. The entire Kinkou Monastery seems to be the base of their operations. They have a leader, it's _him._ " he replied.

"So it's come to pass again... We'll need all the help we can get now that he's on their side..."

"I did as you asked, now answer me this: why did you ask me, of all people, to do this?"

"Like I said in the letter, you're the best at-"

"Don't give me that bullshit." interrupted Zed. "We both know Yi and that monkey pet of his are capable enough for this mission. Yet you asked me to look for Shen. Knowing full well that if I find him I might just outright kill him."

"But you didn't." replied Karma with a small smile.

"More like I couldn't." retorted Zed. "The curse is empowering them."

"Even so, you held back didn't you?"

"Enough. You're being naive if you think that after all these years, you can still _s_ _ave_ me." glared Zed, as he promptly turned and disappeared into the shadows.

"Not naive... Hopeful." sighed Karma.

* * *

Back in the Kumungu...

Nidalee was sitting in her old den with Rengar's arms around her. It was comforting. She thought that she ought to visit her family before they left.

It was still painful to revisit that place. Every time she looked upon the makeshift graves in front of her den, she couldn't stop the memories from resurfacing. The helplessness still gets to her sometimes. She couldn't do anything as she watched while her family was taken from her, she couldn't do anything but watch as Rengar was almost taken from her as well. The desperation was overwhelming, it made her feel so powerless.

Every time she would feel this way, she would then remember: there is someone right here whom she cares about, who also cares about her. His strong comforting arms hugged her tightly as if the notion of letting go meant losing her forever. Every time she came back here, he would be there to console her, ease the pain. Healing from this is a process, it happens slowly. Back then Nidalee had taken care of Rengar while he healed, now it's his turn.

"We should head back soon. Just think. This time tomorrow we'll be in Ionia. I'm sure the forests there will have so many new beasts to hunt." said Rengar, trying to take her mind off of things.

"Yeah... I guess." she replied half-heartedly.

"Come on, I know you're more excited than that! Think of the festival! You get to... Actually what do humans do at a festival? I've never been to one. All I know is that there's food." he said rather sheepishly.

For the first time that evening, she smiled. It was a delicate but genuine smile. It looked like the slightest touch would shatter it, but she was truthfully amused by Rengar's confusion, and so very grateful that he was here.

"Well we'll find out tomorrow won't we?" said Nidalee with a slightly stronger smile.

Rengar's smile was the one to falter this time. It was slight but she caught it.

"What's wrong? You don't want to go to the festival?" asked Nidalee somewhat worried.

"It's not that... It's just... I've never interacted with any humans besides you and my father. I doubt they'd be comfortable in my presence. I don't even know if _I'd_ be comfortable with so many of them around me, in an unknown territory with unknown creatures." spouted Rengar.

"No way. Could it be? Is the great Pridestalker _scared?!_ " teased Nidalee. Rengar just snarled playfully at her as she giggled.

"The unknown always makes me uncomfortable, especially now that I have more than my own life to worry about." he spoke sincerely.

The sincerity silenced her giggles, as she watched him stare up at the sky. To bring him out of his thoughts she planted a passionate kiss on his cheek.

It worked to bring him out of his wandering thoughts and as he stared into her eyes, he smiled and said, "I love you, I don't say that enough."

"I don't need you to say it. What you do proves it more than words ever could." she affirmed. "Just... Promise that you won't ever leave me..."

"I promise. I will stay with you no matter what. Now let's go, we still have a trip to prepare for."

Standing up, the two made their way back to Rengar's den. They made their preparations for the trip, after all there wasn't much to prepare. Other than weapons and their usual clothing, they don't have anything else to bring. So they just went to sleep in an effort to get up early the next day.

"By the way Rengar?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you too. So thank you. For everything"

"Any time." he smiled and placing a kiss on her forehead, they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright then, first chapter! Hope you all enjoy!**

 **P.S. In the coming chapters there's gonna be a lot of champions involved, I think most of the Ionian champions plus others are going to be relevant and it's gonna be my first time managing so many characters. Please forgive any mishaps or discrepancies I might overlook and as always criticism is welcome! ^.^**


	3. Chapter 2: New Faces

Rengar and Nidalee woke up early next morning to hunt for breakfast so they'd have time to make their final preparations.

Rengar donned his armour and Nidalee wore her usual attire. It didn't take very long at all and finally it was time. Rengar and Nidalee arrived at Ivern's sanctuary and awaited the arrival of their tour guide. As he brought out the Teleportation stone, Serp slithered out from under a brush and arching its back, it looked up at Rengar and awaited his permission. Sensing its intention Rengar simply nodded and bent down offering his hand allowing Serp to climb up and settle around his neck.

"He's really taken a liking to you." remarked Ivern. "That's no surprise really, he's one of the friendliest critters I've ever met! Now let me go through this one last time. When you arrive at Omikayalan, appear as non-hostile and unthreatening as possible, also don't make unnecessary movements and under no circumstances should you ever, _ever_ touch the God Willow. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. Or rather what's left of it. It's tremendously sacred amongst the inhabitants there. Only move when Serp explains everything to the natives and gives the OK."

"Yes yes. Follow the rules or risk certain death got it. You don't need to worry old man." laughed Rengar.

"Yes I am old. And with age comes wisdom. Trust me. The inhabitants of Omikayalan are not the most forgiving. They can hold a grudge for millennia. It's why I haven't been back there." Ivern smiled innocently.

 _He what...?_

"Wait, so they hate you? And you're sending us there?" asked Rengar incredulously.

"Oh they don't hate me... They just have some negative feelings towards me... Strong ones. But don't worry though my authority still holds sway there. You shouldn't have any problems." said Ivern.

"Shouldn't? Wh-"

"Oh look where has the time gone." interrupted Ivern. "You should get going if you want to make that festival!" he hurriedly chanted something and the Teleportation Stone glowed purple. The purple light began to envelope Rengar with Nidalee clinging to his arm, as the world changed around them. The last they saw of Ivern was him waving goodbye in a less than sincere manner.

 _That damned geezer!_

Rengar and Nidalee opened their eyes to an incredible sight. It was similar to Ivern's sanctuary in a way but Omikayalan was much much bigger. All the plants seemed greener and healthier than the jungle and the atmosphere around the area was teeming with life.

Very soon, every living creature had noticed the two predators suddenly appearing in the middle of their home. The ones that could, bared their fangs or other such weapons and the ones that couldn't, hid behind rocks, logs, trees and each other. Serp slithered down Rengar's body and made his way over to the group of animals. His tongue flickered up and down and in and out as he made various hissing noises which were incomprehensible for Rengar and Nidalee, but seemed to allay the rest of them from their fears.

While Serp negotiated, Rengar decided to glance around some more. This place was true beauty in all its forms, the jungle could not compare. Everything lived so harmoniously together, anyone would think that this place was paradise. The only thing that slightly marred the beauty is a great big tree stump in the center. Although it was just a stump, it seemed to radiate some sort of power. It still felt alive even though the tree was cut down. It was odd to find a stump here because it was hard to imagine any harm coming to anything in this place.

 _That must be what Ivern was talking about._

Before long, Serp finished speaking with the other animals, and although they still seemed on edge, it was clear that they were allowing them to pass, however reluctantly. Serp nodded his head and slithered off in a direction and Rengar and Nidalee followed.

They still felt the eyes of literally everything on them as they walked past, though neither of them cared. They were too enthralled by the majesty of the place that they didn't even realise Serp had stopped a while ago. Only when they reached the border of Omikayalan and the surroundings turned into just a normal forest did they finally notice their missing tour guide. They turned around and just saw the little serpent with its head raised and tail wagging in the air as though waving them goodbye. Understandably, he wanted to stay in Omikayalan.

As they left, two pairs of eyes watched them, from a far treetop.

"It's okay miella, one is Vastayan and the other has Vastayan blood." said the orange one.

"I know mieli, but they might still side with the humans just like that beast man who also possesses Vastayan blood." said the purple one.

"Oh you worry too much. As long as they don't hurt us Vastayans or our home, we won't need to bother them. The moon will be red tonight miella. We should dance!"

"The humans broke the agreement long ago when that shadowy man kidnapped so many of ours. And, yes we should, mieli. Together."

"Together, miella. Together."

* * *

Rengar and Nidalee had been walking for about twenty minutes before they realised that they had no idea where they were going.

"So... Where are we meant to go from here?" asked Nidalee.

"Let's see if we can find any human tracks." suggested Rengar.

Before long they heard the distant sound of human chatter. It didn't seem like anybody came into this forest, there wasn't a single human footprint at all. It didn't matter though, they were close enough to the treeline to hear the bustle of a town or village, only because of their animalistic abilities of course, no human could've heard it from this distance.

"Do you hear that Rengar? It's over there! Let's go!" she cheered excitedly as she decided to run off in that direction.

"Nid, wait-" Rengar justs sighed and smiled as he began to chase after her. Not long after Nidalee ran off, Rengar heard a small giggle from around him.

 _What was that?_

"Nid?" he called.

No response. Until another giggle broke the silence, this time from a certain direction. Rengar face that direction and placed a hand on his knife just in case. Rengar couldn't sense any hostility but for some reason he felt his heart begin to beat faster.

A moment later, he saw a creature step out of the bushes. She wore a nice kimono but the more interesting trait about her was the nine white fluffy tails floating gracefully in the air behind her. Though the only thing Rengar could focus on was how accentuated the kimono made her 'assets'. In spite of himself, for some reason, Rengar couldn't stop staring.

 _Danger!_

The remaining logical part of his consciousness was screaming for him to get away, but his feet didn't obey him. It was more like the rest of him didn't want to leave and overpowered his fight or flight instinct. His hand was trembling on his knife, struggling to both draw and sheathe it. Finally as the nine tailed woman walked closer in a rather seductive manner, he lowered his hands to his sides and took a step forward.

 _No! I need to lea- I need to... I need... Leave... Leave? Love. I need... Love. Her._

The woman arrived in front of Rengar and with her hand, she lifted his head up so his eyes met hers, rather than her rack. Despite his enthralment, the instinctive side of him detected the malicious intent hidden beneath that mask of seduction, but he was unable to act on it.

 _Danger! She's... Beautiful._

The woman began to trace her fingers along Rengar's body, feeling his tensed muscles. Rengar lost himself to the pleasure and a low purr left his throat. She just smiled wickedly at that and placed both hands on his cheeks, and her lips on his. The kiss was sensational. Any rational thought Rengar had left disappeared with the kiss. He could physically feel his body growing heavier, himself getting tired and growing weaker, but he didn't care.

 _More. More! I need more!_

Rengar tried to advance further but the fox woman let go with a confused look on her face. Suddenly, she was alerted to a projectile heading her way and she immediately leapt back to a safe distance. The javelin landed where she was moments ago, right in front of Rengar. She seemed somewhat distraught, not that Rengar noticed, he had dropped to all fours panting and struggling to stay conscious due to his severely depleted energy.

He forced himself to stay upright, as the fox woman began to walk forward tentatively. The most he managed was one knee off the ground, the other had to stay to support him. His hands were sandwiching his head as he had a splitting headache trying to reject the fox woman's magic.

 _I need... Need... Nid... Nidalee... I need Nidalee! This woman is dangerous!_

As the woman approached, Rengar shook his head trying to clear his mind, he was failing and succumbing to the magic once again until he heard Nidalee call his name. That familiar voice jarred the magic's hold on him long enough for him to let out a tremendous roar. The shock wave shook the trees and knocked the woman back several feet. The adrenaline rush restored his energy somewhat allowing him to stand up, albeit with some difficulty and heavy breathing, but most importantly it broke the magic's hold over him entirely.

The woman got up and looked like she wanted to say something, but she was stopped by another javelin narrowly missing her and embedding itself in the ground in front of her. Nidalee jumped down from the tree and landed in front of Rengar with an arm out protectively.

"Heh. Sorry. I got careless... " said Rengar quietly. She just glared at him, obviously angry.

"Who are you and what do you want?" called Nidalee.

"I am so so sorry! I lost control!" shouted the fox woman. "Oh god, oh god Karma's gonna kill me! Or worse, she's gonna exile me!" she muttered to herself.

"What? What did you do to him? Tell me or the next javelin goes through your face." shouted Nidalee.

"Oh yes, of course just uhhh just follow me!"

Rengar's eyelids grew heavy and began to topple forward. Nidalee caught him in time but didn't know what was wrong with him.

"Sorry... " whispered Rengar as he leaned on her.

"Rengar? Hey, hey you're really heavy. Come on stay with me."

The woman turned to her and urgently said, "Um uh, don't panic! He's just weak from exhaustion, some rest will fix him right up! Just come with me." said the fox woman with a very nervous chuckle afterwards.

Reluctantly complying, she half carried, half dragged Rengar with them. Luckily they didn't have to go far, as they soon stopped at what seemed like her den. Nidalee laid Rengar down on the ground and he instantly fell asleep. She turned to Ahri who simply said, "I'll answer any questions you ha-"

"Ahriiiiii! Where did you g- oh hey! Guests!" then in a low whisper the newcomer said, "or are they victims...?"

The woman who was apparently called Ahri seemed to internally face-palm, sighed and then said, "Both it seems."

"First of all, my name is Ahri and this monkey is Wukong. That lion guy is apparently Rengar and she... Uh I don't actually know."

"Nidalee." she filled

"Right, Nidalee." As she bustled about gathering some herbs, she began to explain the situation. "I'm half fox. I want to be human, but the only way for that to happen is if I harvested life essences. That's what I was trying to do to Rengar over there. Don't be too mad at him, I used magic to charm him. He couldn't have helped himself."

"Wait Ahri, you fed on him? And he's alive?!" exclaimed Wukong. "That's amazing! You're getting better at this!"

Ahri just sighed some more as Nidalee arched her eyebrow. She had finished making a concoction and went to feed Rengar. "Let me explain. For decades I've killed each person I've tried to harvest, but that was just my nature. However remorse is also in my nature and I felt guilty for taking all those lives. So now every time I need to feed, I try to take just enough to get by. Obviously the stronger they are, the better it is because they won't be left as weak. Usually I just take some from Wukong over here. He seems to always have an endless supply of energy so it doesn't bother him much. But I couldn't help myself when I smelled new pr- uh arrivals."

Nidalee just nodded at her explanation but then one burning question came to her mind. It made her even angrier. "So why were you trying to kill Rengar?"

"What are you talking about! He's alive isn't he!?" defended Wukong, but Ahri just put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"I'm sorry, but it's true. I did nearly kill him. I only planned to take what I needed but there was a... let's call it an extenuating circumstance that I didn't expect. I'll tell you later in private, it's something you need to know." she said solemnly. "Luckily, you arrived in time. You cleared his mind long enough for him to break the spell. Which by the way, nobody has ever done before. It's quite amazing really, you must mean a lot to him. Usually the man will just pine over me even after I leave, for days, even months, on end. Regardless of whether they had wives or children."

Nidalee smiled just a little, but she was still angry. "So what now? How long will he be out for? We came for the festival, I don't want him to miss it."

"Ooh the Festival of Fire! We're going too!" exclaimed Wukong gleefully.

"You might as well stay here with us then, we'll take you there when he wakes up."

"Oh this is gonna be awesome! Four animals walk in- oh nevermind, three animals and a human walk into a bar! Haha!" laughed Wukong.

Nidalee just growled at the monkey and transformed into a cougar.

"Woah..." gasped both Ahri and Wukong.

"So we _are_ four animals! Haha!" laughed Wukong.

Nidalee turned back and smiled. A Fox, a Monkey, a Lion and a Cougar. This is going to be one interesting day.

* * *

Meanwhile near the residence of the Grand Duchess, Zed made his way back to Karma's abode.

"-s a menace to all of us! How could you ask for his help!? What if he killed you in the middle of the night? What if he went around and killed the citizens!"

Zed just sighed, Irelia is as hot-headed as usual. It amused Zed to hear how stupid this made her seem. What would he have to gain from random killings. All he'd get is a larger target on his back.

"Irelia stop. I'm telling you, we have more important issues to worry about. I asked Zed to help because this involves him as well." said Karma.

"For what bloody problem would we need that murd- Oh. For the even bigger murderer. He's gonna help us with Khada Jhin?"

"Unfortunately. At this point Jhin is not our biggest problem either. " said Zed as he stepped out through a shadow into the room.

"You... " spat Irelia as she narrowed her eyes.

"Yes, me. Now calm down Irelia I'm not here to kill. Though I would like to stitch your mouth shut at some point. Anyway, I live in Ionia too or did you forget." remarked Zed.

"Yeah, unfortunately. You and that bitch with balls can go live in hell for all I care, of course you got together. You deserve eachother." she said coldly.

Zed's eyes flashed a more menacing red as he disappeared in an instant. He appeared directly behind Irelia wreathed in shadows as he held a blade at her throat.

"Do not speak about her that way again or I _will_ kill you." he threatened in his calm demeanour. The lack of emotion he showed reinforced his threat and even made Udyr uneasy.

"Alright you two calm down. We're here as allies. Now Zed tell us what you know." said the blind monk Lee Sin.

Zed sat down next to Karma, much to Irelia's chagrin, as he addressed the other guests. Irelia, Soraka, Yi and Udyr all had their eyes trained on him whilst Lee Sin just sipped his tea and listened intently.

"Karma asked me to investigate the Kinkou Monastery because Shen and the others are missing. Unfortunately, it seems this Festival of Fire is going to be a particularly deadly one. The Blood Moon has risen once again. I doubt that it's pure coincidence that Jhin escaped at this time as well. If I had to guess, he's become one of them. As have Shen, Akali and Kennen. The Kinkou Monastery is their base of operations but I don't know who or how many others are a part of this." explained Zed.

"One thing is for certain though. If the Kinkou are on their side... We're going to be hard-pressed to fend them off." added Karma.

Irelia was just about to say something snarky about Zed being untrustworthy but was interrupted by Udyr.

"Did you hear that?" he asked. Lee Sin nodded whilst the others just looked at him in confusion.

"There was a roar in the distance. It sounded like it came from the direction of Ahri and Wukong's den." Udyr explained.

"We didn't hear anything... " said Soraka.

"But if my apprentice is in trouble we have to go help them!" said Yi as he stood up.

"Let's go take a look then. With any luck it should be just who we need." said Karma cryptically, as they set off.

* * *

An hour later they arrived at the forest's edge. Yi arrived before them all, obviously, he was the fastest and it was his disciple in danger, supposedly.

Not far into the forest, they came upon a clearing. It was an unnaturally circular clearing. The trees on the rim were all pushed and now angled pointing away from the centre of the clearing, whilst everything inside was utterly flattened and destroyed. Twigs and branches pressed into the ground whilst all the leaves were gathered around the perimeter. It was as if some forced radiated from the centre and blew everything outwards.

They finished marvelling at the sheer power required for that to happen and proceeded to Ahri's den. It didn't take them much longer but when they arrived the sight was nothing they'd ever seen before.

Ahri, Wukong and a woman wearing fur, were having a conversation whilst an armoured humanoid lion was sleeping next to them.

"Master!" called Wukong, as the group walked up to them.

"What brings you all here?" asked Ahri.

"Udyr and Lee Sin heard a roar from this direction, we thought you were in trouble." explained Soraka.

"Wait, you heard his roar from the town? That's miles away!" exclaimed Ahri.

"His? Who are these people Ahri?" asked Irelia. Only Irelia seemed to be surprised at seeing Rengar. The others, especially Karma, seemed to already be familiar with who he was.

"That's Rengar sleeping there and this is Nidalee." introduced Ahri.

"Um... Hi. We came to see the Festival of Fire, but he ran into Ahri and well..." said Nidalee.

"Ahri! What have we said about this!? You can't be going around killing people anymore!" scolded Soraka.

"I'm sorry! I smelt new blood and I got excited, I couldn't help myself. Also he's not dead!" she said while pouting.

"That's no excuse, but at least you didn't kill him I suppose. I see you've given him the rejuvenating herbal tea I taught you to make, he should feel perfectly refreshed after a few more hours of rest. Just in time for the festival." said Karma.

"Actually, in the spirit of truthfulness, I have to confess that if it had gone on long enough, I probably would've killed him. But... He broke free of my charm." she said with an injured smile. It's like she was both glad for it but also sad as it was a heavy blow to her pride as her magic was overcome for the first time.

"Wait he broke your charm? How?" asked a surprised Karma.

"I guess he has someone very dear to him." answered Ahri as she looked at Nidalee, somewhat forlornly.

Soraka walked over and checked up on Rengar's condition.

"So what are you all really here for? I can't imagine all of you coming just to see if we're okay... especially that one over there." scrutinised Ahri as she pointed to Zed who was currently leaning against a tree with his arms folded.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. For now you all just go enjoy the festival. Which reminds me, Yi and I picked something out for the two of you. Come by later so we can give it to you." said Karma.

With Soraka finishing her checkup and satisfied with Rengar's condition, they all left and returned to the town.

"You should've told them." said Zed candidly. "You said so yourself we need all the help we can get. Ignoring the two new idiots, the monkey and the fox can still help."

Karma just sighed, "Zed, they're still children and this may be the last time they can be happy. Especially since we're about to involve two people who had no business in our fight."

"Tell me again why we need to involve those two anyway? Can they even help us?" asked Zed sceptically.

"Didn't you see that clearing? That was Rengar's roar. He's our secret weapon, after all... He's _his_ son."

* * *

 **A/N: Alrighty, introducing a lot of new characters here. Enjoy! As usual comments and criticisms are welcome!**


	4. Chapter 3: The Festival

Half an hour after the others had left, Rengar shifted in his sleep and began to wake up. Before even opening his eyes, he brought one paw up to rub his head as he scrunched his face seemingly suffering from a headache. Finally opening his eyes, he asked no-one in particular, "What happened?"

 _Ugh, my head._

Before he had a chance to look around, Nidalee hugged him tightly with a smile.

"Welcome back." she said softly.

"So much for country of peace. I'm gonna kill that fox." growled Rengar. Before Nidalee could say anything, he had already smelt her presence. She wasn't alone and from the scent, it smelt of monkey. He was now snarling in her general direction.

"Rengar, honey. Don't be too mad. She doesn't seem like a bad person... I think." reassured Nidalee though it was so half-hearted it was hard to imagine she believed it herself.

Rengar was still unhappy, but if Nidalee is going to defend her even so unconvincingly, then he would at least give Ahri the benefit of the doubt.

However, first things first and Rengar turned and said, "Nidalee... I'm so sorry. I should've been stronger." he said, looking at the ground, ashamed.

Nidalee just shook her head and hugged him again. "It's fine. It wasn't your fault. I hear from the locals that her magic is very potent. You are the first person to ever break it so I forgive you. Do _not_ beat yourself up about it." she said with a calm tone. Despite this, she could see the shame clearly on his face.

 _Still, I should've been stronger. I should've been able to re_ _sist it from the beginning._

"So then... where are these hosts of ours? And what did you say they were called?" asked Rengar, confused.

"Oh that's right. The fox woman, her name is Ahri and that monkey you can smell is called Wukong. Speaking of... Those two should be back by now." said Nidalee, and sure enough not soon after two humanoid figures walked out of the trees. Upon seeing Rengar sitting upright, snarling, Ahri immediately hid behind Wukong and peeked around his shoulder.

Ahri was obviously scared, for good reason as well, since Rengar bared his fangs and looked murderous. Wukong just smirked and was clearly trying to hold back his laughter and Nidalee just sighed.

"Rengar, it's fine really. They mean us no harm... anymore." reassured Nidalee again.

"Tell that to the near death experience I just had." growled Rengar, eyes still locked onto Ahri. To anyone present, Rengar's expression looked as though he was thinking of numerous ways to kill, maim and brutalise someone.

"Rengar, calm down." said Nidalee more sternly. "They're going to be our tour guides for the Festival of Fire. Besides if she tries to pull that again you aren't the one she'll need to be afraid of." she continued as she turned to glare at Ahri as well. "Isn't that right Ahri?"

Between the threat and the murderous look from Rengar, Ahri was scared speechless. She just vigorously nodded her head, still behind Wukong, as though her life depended on it; which at this point it might as well have.

Wukong was having the time of his life, and no longer able to hold it back, he burst into a raucous laughter. He doubled over from laughing causing everyone's attentions to be turned on him. Rengar, irritated enough as it is, found the laughing monkey extremely annoying and tossed his bola at him. Seeing the projectile, Wukong summoned a cudgel and intercepted the bola. The bola wrapped around the cudgel and slid down harmlessly as Wukong picked it up. He stopped laughing and instead eyed the bola curiously.

"What's this? What does it do? Can I keep it?" spewed Wukong as he turned the interesting object around to inspect from all angles.

 _I **really** want to kill this monkey..._

Rengar just sighed as though he gave up. The monkey was obviously too oblivious to have anything damper his energetic personality.

It was Nidalee's turn to laugh now as she looked at Rengar's frustrated face. It seems he's all but forgotten about his anger until Ahri's little giggle brought his attention back to her. Rengar suddenly turned and glared at her again and she immediately ducked back behind Wukong.

"Explain yourself and pray that I'm satisfied with what you have to say or else I'll be dining on fox tonight, _fox_." threatened Rengar.

"I... I'll explain on th-the way... We need to go t-to Karma's place..." stammered Ahri, still hiding behind Wukong.

After a moment, nobody moved and so Ahri peeked around carefully as though wondering why nobody has started leaving yet. Obviously catching this, Rengar snarled and said, "As if I'd let you walk behind us. Move fox and explain or else it'll be the last move you make."

Nidalee sighed inwardly. She supposed this was to be expected, Rengar is too proud to let something like this go easily. With nothing she could say or do, she just simply motioned for Ahri and Wukong to take the lead. After all neither she nor Rengar knew where anything is.

Wukong, still wearing his cheerful smirk, began to walk exposing Ahri, and with a yelp she hurried after him to once again place him between herself and Rengar.

Following suit, Rengar and Nidalee walked after them. When Ahri kept opening and shutting her mouth as though trying to begin the explanation, it was obvious to Nidalee that she was too afraid to start. So in her stead, Nidalee began the explanation herself after a deep sigh.

As they walked, some time during Nidalee's explanation, Ahri started forgetting her fear and began to add her own clarifications, and eventually she took over the explanation and relayed in detail her intentions and motivations for what she did. The more Rengar listened, the more he understood why he had been attacked. He could relate in a way; the need to hunt. Though it wasn't to the extent of hunt or die, he understood nonetheless.

"The only question I have about this is, why do you need to sexually assault your victims. Can't you siphon their life essences any other way?" wondered Rengar.

"Well... To be honest any form of physical contact can work, it just isn't very efficient. The more intimate the contact the easier it is for the life essence to flow. I have no idea why because I discovered it on accident." answered Ahri, somewhat embarrassed.

Rengar seemed to mull over his options and after a momentary silence, he sighed and it seemed like he let go of his earlier anger.

 _Still, better not find myself alone near her any time soon..._

* * *

Before long, the four of them arrived at Karma's place. It seemed like they were expected as everyone was already gathered there.

"Ah, you're here. I think it's time to do some formal introductions." greeted Karma. "So then. I am Karma, the Grand Duchess of Ionia. Welcome to my humble abode. And no before you ask I am not a ruler of any sort. Respected member of the High Council, yes, but Ionia is very much a diplomatic country."

Karma was dark-skinned, wore green and white robes and had what seemed like spiraling jade dragons floating above her back. It seemed like part of her clothing, but Rengar still found it unnatural. She seemed to have this faint green glow around her.

"My name is Yi, I am the last swordsman alive to follow the Wuju style. Wukong over there is my student." said Yi. He had a goatee and is wearing loose fitting trousers and a simple yellow tunic. He has long hair, tied back, reaching down past his shoulder blades and a single sheathed longsword strapped to his belt.

"That's Master Yi without his armour on. He usually wears this seven-lensed helmet that makes him look like a giant spider, hehe." whispered Wukong, though still loud enough for Yi to hear. Yi just sighed inwardly as though he has long since given up on Wukong's immaturity. The others in the room either smirked slightly or chuckled.

"Right then, I am Irelia. I am captain of the Ionian guard. I am the last living practitioner of the Hiten Blade style." said Irelia. She wore white and red robes, and has a giant red orb floating behind her surrounded by four oddly shaped blades. They seemed to move wherever she commanded which puzzled Rengar. Everything was so alien to him, he wondered if stuff like this was the norm in Ionia.

 _Though... What is it with being the last practitioners of a fighting style..._

"I am Lee Sin. As you can see I am blind but I wouldn't let that fool you. I can 'see' using my other senses better than most can see with their eyes. I am a monk of the Shojin Monastery." said the blind man. Lee Sin wore black trousers and a white short sleeved overcoat that seemed somewhat ceremonial or likely belonging to some martial arts style. It was undone and Rengar could clearly see that he was extremely toned and muscular. He had a black bandana covering his eyes and had shaggy black hair.

"He's usually bald save for this tiny little clump of extremely long hair tied back. It used to be as long as he is tall! But recently he's improved his sense of style on request of a special lady friend who likes this look better, haha." whispered Wukong as unsubtle as possible. Lee Sin just sighed.

"Admittedly that is true." he said. "You'll meet her tonight, her music is the best in all of Runeterra."

"Hi! I'm Soraka. You can probably tell that I'm not human. I am a celestial being, born from the stars. If you ever have an injury, I'm the one you go to. I'll fix you up faster than you can say 'that hurt!' " beamed one cheerful looking woman with bluish skin and a crystalline horn protruding from her forehead. She seemed to have goat feet too.

 _Celestial? She looks half goat to me..._

"We are Udyr, the Spirit Walker. The four Great Animal Spirits reside within me." Udyr opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something more but seemed to think better of it and left it at that. He wore no shirt, leaving his upper body completely bare save for the Mala beads around his torso, hanging from his shoulder to the opposite hip. He was more muscular than Lee Sin but his was a stockier build as opposed to Lee Sin's toned physique. He briefly glanced over to Karma, and she returned the glance, as though he made a good decision to not speak any further.

"Oh look! Those two can't keep their eyes off each other hahaha." laughed Wukong as he not-so-quietly whispered in Rengar's ear, clearly misinterpreting the situation. Or so it seemed, until Karma, despite her thoroughly unamused face, actually seemed to blush ever so slightly, accompanied by the smallest hint of a smile tugging at the edge of Udyr's mouth.

"Anyway, you've already met Wukong and Ahri here. And don't worry Rengar, Ahri knows better than attacking people like that. She actually has a deal with the council where she can take what she needs from a consenting individual, without killing of course, and we let her live in Ionia. We don't condone loss of life of any kind, but don't take that as a weakness. We might show mercy but everybody reaps what they sow." explained Irelia.

"Well that's reassuring I suppose..." mused Rengar. "Well I guess you all already know who we are, we came from the Kumungu Jungle to experience this festival."

"The Kumungu is really far away, on the main continent. How did you hear of our festival? Better yet, how did you even get here? I don't know of anybody who wouldn't be scared away by you two, no offense." wondered Soraka.

"No you're right, we didn't come here by ship. We used a teleportation stone, to somewhere called Omikaa... Something. " answered Nidalee.

"Wait, you can't possibly mean Omikayalan, can you? How on Runeterra did you manage that? Not even Ionians can get there. It's sacred!" exclaimed Yi.

"Well, Ivern gave me his teleportation stone to use. He said he came from here but he did something that he doesn't think he's been forgiven for yet." explained Rengar.

"Ivern? Ivern Bramblefoot? How do you know him?" asked Karma.

"I suppose he's my Godfather." Stated Rengar simply.

Everyone was speechless. Even Ahri and Wukong had expressions of absolute shock on their faces.

 _I think I'm missing something here..._

"Is... That such a big deal?" asked Rengar tentatively.

"Yes! Ivern Bramblefoot is the physical embodiment of the God Willow! Omikayalan is also known as the Heart of the World. That grove is sacred to every single living creature in Ionia. Nobody can go near it, the Vastayans either chase away or kill anyone trying to get there. When you see Ivern again, tell him to come back. Despite what happened centuries ago, he'd be welcomed back undoubtedly." replied Karma, with some sense of urgency.

"What... Exactly did Ivern do?" asked Nidalee.

Karma just sighed. "Centuries ago, some Freljordian raiders came and sacked Omikayalan. Ivern was a part of the raiding party and back then he was titled Ivern the Cruel. He's the only one who survived because he was the one who chopped down the God Willow, and in doing so he inadvertently became the conduit for the God Willow which embodies him right now. Although what he did was unforgivable, he is literally the thing that everyone worships."

 _So he really is centuries old..._

"Well enough of this dreary talk. You're all going to the festival soon right? Come with me, being armoured is generally frowned upon in festivals. I'll help you out a bit." interrupted Soraka cheerfully.

"That reminds me. Ahri, Wukong we have a gift for you. These are garments we procured. We think they'll suit you well." said Yi as he held out some neatly folded clothes for the two.

The pair of them thanked Yi gratefully and left to change into their new clothes.

* * *

Soraka had taken Rengar and Nidalee into a different room and presented them with choices of clothing.

Nidalee chose a beautiful kimono decorated with embroidered sakura blossoms, and looking at Rengar's speechless reaction, she was extremely satisfied.

Rengar didn't particularly want any of the clothes present. If armour and weaponry were the problem then he'd just go without them. This place didn't have a problem with plenty of shirtless men it seemed so why would they have a problem with a shirtless humanoid lion. Besides, the fur and loincloth made him look less indecent anyway.

Even so, Soraka insisted that he wear something. Even Nidalee joined in and asked him to wear something, anything. So he looked around the room. It was filled with fancy clothes for all sorts of occasions but one thing caught Rengar's eye. In a corner of a wardrobe, Rengar found a neatly folded bundle of cloth. Unravelling it, he found that it was a dark blue hooded cloak and he immediately took a liking to it. It seemed worn at the edges, as though it was worn by someone else before, but that didn't bother him. It felt... Familiar.

"Good choice. It suits you... more than you know." said Soraka, with a hint of knowing behind her soft gentle eyes.

Rengar and Nidalee came back into the main room and found Ahri and Wukong standing in completely different, and amazing clothes.

"You two fit so perfectly! Wukong, as bright and radiant as the morning sun and Ahri as soft and graceful as moonlight dancing across the midnight sky!" cheered Soraka as she spotted the pair of them.

Wukong was wearing bright golden ceremonial garments. He seemed somewhat abashed, until he looked over to Ahri and instantly forgot about everything. He just stared at her and her furred tunic and jacket. The fur was white but the rest were varying shades of blue, mainly sky blue and some darker.

"Thank you so much! This is perfect!" laughed Ahri as she twirled around in her new clothes.

"It's about time isn't it? Ahri and Wukong, why don't you guys take Nidalee and Rengar to town and enjoy the festivities." suggested Karma. "Oh here, take this. If either of you find something you like, don't hesitate to buy it." she said as she handed over a sack of gold and some paper notes.

"Wait what about Mr. Doom and Gloom? We don't need to worry about him during the festival do we?" asked Ahri.

"Ah you mean Zed. Don't worry, he's not interested in the festival. Now go enjoy the night!" replied Karma.

After thanking Karma, the four of them set off. By the time they arrived at the festival, the sun had just started to set. The lanterns and decorative lights were all lit and the streets were buzzing with activity.

By now Ahri and Wukong were regulars and the townsfolk aren't perturbed by them anymore, and much to both Nidalee and Rengar's delight, the townsfolk were also extremely accepting. They didn't care what you looked like, be it human or humanoid, they offered services to all.

Ahri and Wukong took Nidalee and Rengar around to all their favourite places, mostly for foodstuffs, like takoyaki, a waffle place and an ice cream parlour. Nidalee loved it all, as it turned out she has a bit of a sweet tooth. Rengar on the other hand mumbled about missing the taste of fresh meat, until he was brought to a barbecue and grill.

 _Now this is what meat should taste like!_

"Hey Nidalee! Look! There's a jewellery stand! Let's go have a look! You boys stay here, don't wander off now!" said Ahri as the two girls ran towards a jewellery stall.

"By the way Ahri, about that something you needed to tell me privately. What is it?" asked Nidalee.

"Oh yeah, that. You see, when I drain people's life essences, I can also take a peek at their memories, I can actually steal them if I wanted to but don't worry I didn't take anything from Rengar. That being said, I think... Rengar has some missing memories... I couldn't find any memories from his childhood before he went to the Kumungu. Also... it's faint but his life essence had a scent of snow lilies, and not the natural kind. There's a garden in a sacred grove here in Ionia, called the Garden of Forgetting. It's called that because anybody who goes there goes to offer up a painful memory to the flowers. The flowers take people's memories and the flowers that grow there are snow lilies. Nidalee, I think... I think Rengar has visited Ionia before and I think whoever brought him, took him to the Garden and had it take away his memories..." explained Ahri.

To say Nidalee was shocked was a massive understatement. "What do you... So... Is there any way to get the memories back?" asked Nidalee.

"Not that I know of. The gardener might know something, but the flowers do not return anything freely given, they only leave you with what remains."

"How would you know that?" asked Nidalee a bit more frantically.

"Because that's what she told me." replied Ahri.

It took a moment for Nidalee to understand what she meant, and when she did, she was speechless. "You... What? Why?"

"It was a long time ago, and it was a particularly painful memory, but in the end I couldn't go through with it. Anyway, sad story for another time, just remember what I told you. Now then, let's shop!"

* * *

"Hey Wukong, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." started Rengar, as they waited for the girls.

"Hmm? What is it?" asked Wukong, raising an eyebrow.

"Ahri... You love her don't you?" asked Rengar, pretty bluntly.

Wukong seemed taken aback by the sudden personal question but seemed to collect himself and answered, "Yes."

"Are you really okay with what she has to do with other people?" continued Rengar.

After a momentary silence and a deep sigh, Wukong answered, "I love Ahri, for all her faults as well. It's what makes her her. But... The way that she's lived... The things she had to do just because of who she is... She did love someone once, a painter she said. He loved her absolutely, maybe even more than I do, but that just shattered her even more when she killed him."

"Back then she barely learnt to control the urges, even now it's difficult for her, but that man loved her regardless. Ever since then Ahri has completely locked away her heart, not allowing herself to fall in love like that again for fear of losing control and hurting the one she loves. It's been so long, she might even have forgotten what it was like to love, but I'm hoping given time, I can teach her what it means to love again. After all, I love her." announced Wukong, with his usual glee. However, Rengar could see that underneath that joyous facade, Wukong has been soldiering through patiently whilst keeping his emotions in check.

 _I guess he's a lot more mature than I gave him credit for..._

"I hope for your sake, it won't be for much longer." consoled Rengar.

"Yeah... I hope so too." whispered Wukong. As the two ladies, seemingly satisfied with their look-around, returned.

"Look Wukong!" called Ahri happily as she held out a little trinket in her palm. Upon closer inspection, it was actually two trinkets, that fit together. One was a crescent moon and the other was the noble sun. She handed the moon over to Wukong and smiled. "For you. So I'd always be near your heart."

Wukong was slightly taken aback, but cracked a genuine smile and accepted the gift.

"So? What did you find Nid?" asked Rengar.

Nidalee had been holding something close to her chest as she stood. Her eyes seemed to have teared up a little. "It's just, it reminds me so much of them..." she murmured as she held out her hand for Rengar to see.

Once he saw what she was holding he understood. It was golden chained necklace with a small gold cougar head attached. As he flipped it over, he found that an odd character was inscribed on the back.

"What does this mean?" asked Rengar.

"I asked the shopkeeper to engrave the Ionian character for 'Family' on there." replied Nidalee.

"Here." offered Rengar as he took the necklace, unclipped it, and hung it around Nidalee's neck. He looked at her, at how beautiful she is, and smiled momentarily engrossed in the moment.

"Alright, we'll leave you two lovebirds to your own devices for a while. Let's meet up at the main concert hall later. It's in the Placidium right over there, you can't miss it. Sona's show starts in two hours so you have some time to... talk." suggested Ahri.

"Sona?"

"Yeah, Lee Sin's lover. She's the best musician in the world!" said Wukong.

Ahri struggled to tug Wukong away, as he seemed oblivious to the notion of privacy and was reluctant to go.

"You look kinda sad Rengar, what's wrong?" asked Nidalee.

"I'm sorry, I didn't wanna put a damper on the mood. It's just... My father disappeared here during this very festival and I'm so close to finding out why but I know I won't like the answer." replied Rengar.

"Don't worry, I'm sure everything will work out in the end." reassured Nidalee.

 _Hah. If only._

"I feel like those people we met weren't entirely forthcoming. Like they know all the answers to my questions." explained Rengar.

"Well then when you see them next time, try actually asking them." teased Nidalee.

Rengar just chuckled as he drew her back into another hug. "Yeh I should probably try that. Anyway, let's go enjoy the festival. The food's great, I know that much."

"Food sounds great! I'm starving." exclaimed Nidalee. "You smell anything good?"

With a chuckle Rengar replied, "Let's try a bit of everything."

"Sounds like a plan." agreed Nidalee with a wide smile.

* * *

An hour later, Rengar and Nidalee followed the crowd of people to the Placidium for Sona's concert.

The concert hall was very big. It was essentially a semicircle of seats surrounding the stage. The stage was open to the skies and there were hundreds of rows of seats to accommodate for the majority of the population.

They met Ahri and Wukong by the entrance and they entered and found seats with a good view on the second row. Karma had reserved it for them especially.

By the time the concert started, the sun had already set and on a cloudless night such as this one, the stars twinkled brightly. The most prominent feature of the sky, however, was the full moon hanging amongst the stars. It cast a soft red glow across the land and seemed almost serene. It seemed like the perfect night for a concert.

Seating, the four watched tentatively as Sona was introduced onto the stage. Of course, Lee Sin had a front row seat as well as the rest of the council members.

Sona had two ponytails of brilliant blue hair, wore a beautiful white and gold dress, and carried this large stringed instrument that arched around her front slightly. It seemed to be floating in the air, as she gently plucked a string as though testing the acoustics or the tuning.

Happy with the adjustments, Sona began her performance. The entire audience was captivated from the first note, as she plucked and weaved her hands around her instrument. The music started off slow and gradually began to quicken in pace, almost as though she was easing the audience into the flow of the music.

She played fast staccato music that excited people, then slow soothing music that calmed the mind and relaxed the body. The pieces were all played so well, they each drew out raw emotion from the audience. If the aim was to relax the crowd, the music delivered, if it was to excite them, the crowd couldn't help but want to dance. Even Nidalee and Rengar were mesmerised by the sheer depth of emotions her music conveyed and induced.

Sona ended her performance with a piece that started with a leisurely walking pace, adagio, which soon transitioned to a brisk allegro. As her music climaxed, one could feel the entire hall stop breathing for that moment and as the piece ended, everyone let out an audible breath.

Stunned silence followed for a few seconds after Sona's performance but soon enough, the entire hall erupted into applause by a standing ovation. Rose petals were thrown and flowers were presented until finally Sona took her bow and left the stage, and yet everyone kept clapping. Only after a full ten minutes later did the applause finally end.

And so Sona's concert ended and people began to file out of the concert hall. The stage and ground was strewn with rose petals, and confetti from the festivities. Though not everyone left through the front gate. A certain blind monk snuck his way through the crowd and made his way to Sona's dressing room.

"Amazing job as always." greeted Lee Sin. Upon hearing the new voice, Sona spun around on her chair and her face instantly lit up with a wide smile.

They hugged and kissed for a good long while before Sona went back to work in front of the mirror.

"You know, you look gorgeous without makeup." Lee said, smirking.

Sona rolled her eyes as though saying 'how would you know', which she then also asked telepathically as well.

"Touché. Come, I have some people to introduce you to."

Finishing her final touches, Sona left with Lee.

At the entrance of the concert hall, everyone waited for the star of the show to arrive.

When Sona arrived with Lee, she saw all of her friends, and then two complete strangers. A lion and a human but not quite.

Sona did a curtsy and greeted the both of them telepathically.

Both Rengar and Nidalee looked around the place trying to pinpoint the source of the voice but inevitably failed while Sonia just giggled.

"Sona is a telepath." explained Lee Sin.

Realisation dawned on their faces as they stopped looking around. Sona just giggled.

"Well, I'm Nidalee and this is Rengar. Nice to meet you and I have got to say, your music was incredible!" exclaimed Nidalee as Rengar nodded in approval.

"Ooh, the fireworks are starting soon! Let's go watch!" exclaimed Ahri.

Just as the group started moving, the shadows around them seemed to thicken and a deep voice spoke out from seemingly all of them. "They're coming."

Sona looked worried and her voice sounded panicked when she asked everyone what that was, in their minds.

"It's alright Sona. Zed, come out and explain yourself." called Lee.

Zed materialised from a tree's shadow which prompted some weapons to be drawn. Karma motioned for everyone to calm down and asked Zed to elaborate.

"We need to move. They're on their way here." said Zed brusquely.

"Wait what's happening? Who's coming? What?" asked Ahri, as she looked around. Only Sona, Wukong, Nidalee and Rengar seemed to be as clueless to the situation as she is.

"Zed, how long until they get here?" asked Karma.

"Ten minutes at the most."

"Okay, then I'll try to explain as best as I can."

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! We're starting to get into the real meaty parts now! (Pun intended). Comments and criticisms are welcome as usual!**


	5. Chapter 4: And So It Begins

Everyone gathered around awaiting Karma's explanation.

"Every few years, the Moon turns crimson on the night of the Blood Moon Festival. So far it's happened three times already and it seems tonight will be the fourth. Every time the moon turns crimson, the curse takes effect. There is always at least one person with the original curse and they will try to fulfil a prophecy on the night of the Blood Moon. The Blood Moon Prophecy states that when the six seals are opened, the world will be torn asunder and be left in darkness. This time however, it seems the accursed has found a way to manipulate others to do his bidding, which means we'll need to stop them all. Zed was keeping an eye on their movements with his shadows and it seems they're coming here for some reason."

After Karma finished her explanation, everyone who didn't know of it were completely speechless. To have such a heavy burden thrown on them was a shock to say the least.

Rengar and Nidalee looked at each other and nodded. He said, "We'll help, but I've got some questions. First of all, who's the one with the curse and who is that person controlling? Also where are the six seals you spoke of?"

Karma nodded and replied, "There's a seal in every place of import in Ionia. Our primary monasteries are built atop these seals. Since the enemy has a team this time, we can assume they'll attack most if not all the seals simultaneously, which means we'll need to split into groups and defend them all. We don't know who all the victims are but three of them are the Kinkou Triumvirate, they're ninjas. They made the Kinkou Monastery their base of operations and one of the seals is right below it so we can assume that they have that one already. We'll just need to defend the remaining five. That being said... Why are they coming here? None of the seals are h-"

 _What the..._

Unsettled by Karma's sudden halt in movement, Rengar tried to get her attention. He looked about and noticed that everybody else had frozen still too. Everyone was perfectly still as though it was a photograph. He soon realised that it wasn't just them, it was every _thing_. Falling leaves stuck in the air, flames stuck still in their lamps, it's like time just froze.

Then suddenly, breaking the silence, a man behind him said, "Do not worry, no harm will befall them. Yet."

Quickly turning around, Rengar saw three people. The foremost man was standing with his hands clasped behind his back and behind him were an old bearded man sitting cross-legged floating in the air and a cloaked man standing beside him. All three were wearing varying styles of demonic masks, they had red and blue accents on white porcelain, and the old man's one had horns and fangs.

"Who are you and what have you done with them?" growled Rengar, drawing his weapons. He may have left his armour off for the festival, but nobody said anything about being defenceless.

"My, my I didn't think I was gone _that_ long." said the man.

 _That voice..._

"Are you telling me you've forgotten me already?"

 _It's..._

"...Father?"

Rengar shook his head and said, "No. This is a trick, don't think imitating my father will lower my guard, demon." despite his words, he didn't stand as threateningly as before.

"Well if you won't believe me then go ask Karma. She'll tell you I'm right. Now then, I'm here for one thing only. I imagine sentimentality would be the emotion I'd be feeling right now but I haven't felt emotions for a long long time. However in respect for my memories, I will give you, my son, a choice. Do not stand in my way, better yet leave Ionia entirely, or... Die. You have two hours to decide and act."

The cloaked man threw many talismans into the air and forming a circle with them, created a portal in which they all stepped.

Rengar watched his father enter the portal but just before he entered he turned his head and warned, "If I see you again, I will assume you're opposing me and are prepared for death." and the portal closed behind him.

With their departure the world returned to normal and people started moving again.

"-ere... Rengar? How did you... You were jus-"

"IS IT TRUE?!" roared Rengar, pointing his dagger at Karma.

Everyone seemed visibly perturbed, but Karma looked especially concerned. Udyr moved defensively in front of Karma, "Rengar, is _what_ true?" he asked.

"MY FATHER! IS HE OUR ENEMY?" roared Rengar again.

Everyone glanced at each other worriedly when finally Karma dejectedly replied, "...Yes."

Rengar lowered his arm and just said in a quiet tone, "Tell me everything."

"Your father... He was a good friend. To all of us. All those years ago during a Blood Moon, he helped us defeat the accursed but it was not without sacrifice on his part. The Blood Moon always existed but the curse was recent. It was created by an unknown sorcerer around a century ago. Every time, the curse is a little different and last time the curse had a conditional trigger. You can probably guess what it is... The one who slays the accursed shall thereby bear the curse unto himself."

"My father..." concluded Rengar and Karma just nodded in confirmation.

"Those were his precise words. He knew but he told us only afterwards."

"My father... He said he always came to Ionia every year because he also owed someone here a debt. Who was it?" asked Rengar.

"That's... Not important for the time being. We have -"

"My father repaid that debt with his LIFE. DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT'S NOT IMPORTANT! NOW WHO WAS IT?" roared Rengar.

Karma looked like she was going to protest again but Soraka walked in front of her and looking sternly at Rengar, said, "It was me."

Rengar quietened down a bit and asked in a low voice, "What was the debt that he owed? What was so important that he offered his own life?"

"That wasn't... I...He was my friend too I didn't want him to do this." blurted Soraka, on the verge of tears.

"TELL ME!" shouted Rengar again.

"It was you, Rengar. You were dying and he brought you to me and I saved your life. He said he would repay me no matter the cost, so he started visiting every year. We all became good friends and in the end, he... He made his choice not because of any debt, but because he cared. That was just the kind of man your father was. He saved us all." She began to cry but with hitched breath she held it back and carried on, "That hood you're wearing, it was his. He left it as a memento. As much as he didn't want you to get involved in this, he knew it was inevitable that you'd come here, that you'd find out the truth. So he started leaving hints for you, he even asked Karma to enchant that necklace you're wearing. I once asked him what this was all for and you know what he said? He said that this was all for you, his son. He knew that you'd be caught up in this and he knew that you wouldn't leave it alone. Like father like son he said. He wanted this curse to end with him, so that you'd have a future." She sniffled some more and then said, "His last words... His last words were to you Rengar, he said 'I'm sorry'". And with that finally, Soraka let all her tears flow.

Rengar was speechless this time, and tears welled up in his eye. It was him...

 _It was all for me..._

After a long silence, Rengar, wiped his tears and finally spoke up in a barely audible whisper, "He was here earlier. He had two companions, one who could manifest portals and one who could manipulate time. He said we have two hour before he attacks. I'm going after him."

Rengar sprinted into the forest, and despite his words, it was obvious he just wanted to be alone for the time being. He wanted some space to process everything.

"Rengar wait!" called Nidalee to no avail. "I'll go talk to him." she said as she ran off after him.

Karma just sighed and rubbed her temples. "This is going to be a long night."

"Did he just say there was someone who can create portals and someone else who can control _time?!_ " exclaimed Irelia.

"I don't see any reason why he'd lie... In which case, the reason he suddenly appeared to stand somewhere else with information he shouldn't even have known must be... because we were frozen in time while they talked. Argh, it all makes sense now, but how are we even supposed to fight someone who can freeze time itself." muttered Karma as she began to pace. If she wasn't frustrated before, she definitely is now. Everything went wrong in the span of a few minutes, and she seemed like she'd be tearing her own hair out soon. "If he's giving us time, then we'll need to prepare ourselves. Zed and Yi, go to the Temple of Shadows, L-"

"What?/Excuse me?" interrupted both Zed and Yi. "I can handle it myself." stated Zed.

"It was _not_ a request." replied Karma brusquely. Zed grumbled but accepted the instruction in light of the circumstances. He also did not want to deal with a frustrated Karma either so, complying, he sprinted off leaving Yi behind. Yi made an audible 'tsk' sound and ran after him, catching up quickly.

"Lee Sin, Irelia and Soraka go to the Shojin Monastery. Udyr and I will go to the Hirana Monastery. Ahri and Wukong, you need to go after Rengar and Nidalee and tell them one of the seals is in Omikayalan. we need to defend them at all costs. Sona, you better go back to your house. It's not safe to be outside tonight." instructed Karma. Everyone nodded, even Soraka after wiping away her tears and they headed off leaving Karma and Udyr alone.

"What about the last seal?" asked Udyr.

"Loathe as I am to admit it, the last seal doesn't need our protecting right now. We can't even if we wanted to, as it is under the Celestial Fortress where Syndra lives." replied Karma.

* * *

"Rengar!" called Nidalee, chasing after him. Rengar just kept running as though he didn't hear, stopping every so often to sniff the air trying to catch a scent.

 _That way._

"Rengar, wait up!" shouted Nidalee.

 _The scent's getting stronger. He's over there._

"Rengar!" When it was clear that he wasn't listening, Nidalee sighed exasperatedly and took to all fours. Even in her cougar form, it was difficult to catch up to him.

 _If I'm the reason he's like this, then I'll be the one to free him._

When Nidalee finally caught up, she leapt onto Rengar's back and transformed back, wrapping her arms around him. The sudden weight unbalanced Rengar and they both tumbled to the ground. Rengar growled in annoyance and got up to run again, but Nidalee grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"Rengar, stop. I can feel some very evil magic from over there, please just calm down and think for a moment!" said Nidalee, trying to talk some sense into him.

"Nid, it's my father! I have to help him." replied Rengar, tone a mix of rage and impatience.

"And running straight into danger without a plan is not the way to do that! You said so yourself, he's the enemy right now!" tried Nidalee again.

"If I can't save him then I'll stop him. Either way I can't just do nothing!" countered Rengar.

"I'm not asking you to do nothing. Just not this! You can't help him by dying!" she argued. It seemed to get through to him as his stayed silent this time.

When he finally spoke up, his tone had changed. It wasn't angry nor was it forceful. It was instead soft and quiet. "Nid, he gave his life for everyone, the world! I have to try, even if-"

"If you finish that sentence, so help me god I will claw you. What would it accomplish? You can't possibly be satisfied with dying just to save him." interrupted Nidalee, getting evidently angrier.

"Why not?! He'll be alive and back to normal!" asked Rengar.

"Because you'll be dead! It would be pointless!" shouted Nidalee.

"I DON'T CARE!"

 ** _*Slap*_**

It took Rengar a moment to realise what had just happened. With his cheek still stinging from the pain, he turned and looked back at Nidalee. Her hands were around her mouth and she had tears streaming down her face.

"But I do." was all she said.

"Nid, I..." He was cut off by a hug as Nidalee wrapped her arms around him.

"Please don't say something like that again. There are people in this world who will be sad if you die, you must realise that by now. Even if you think trading your life is worth it, we don't. Your father wouldn't want that either. So please don't say something so stupid." she cried.

Rengar put his arms around her now as well. He felt none of the rage nor the urgency anymore. "I'm sorry. I-"

"Nidalee! Rengar!" called Ahri, as she ran up to them. Nidalee freed her arms and wiped away the tears before Ahri arrived. Moments later Wukong dropped down from a tree branch as well.

"We finally found you! Listen, Karma says we need to go to blah-blah-layakan place or whatever it's called" said Wukong quickly.

"Omikayalan." corrected Ahri. "She says there's a seal there and we need to go defend it. The others are going to the other seals."

"Well there you go, that'll be the plan." smiled Nidalee. "If we stop the curse from activating, maybe then your father will be freed."

"Alright, that's a start... Although, we're so close to them I can smell it, and since we have a couple of hours before they attack... I want to scout out the enemy base." said Rengar.

"Rengar, what did I just say?" said Nidalee sternly.

"I know, I know. Don't worry I won't do anything rash. It's just to see who or what we're up against. Simple in and out." reassured Rengar, though Nidalee wasn't very assured.

"I don't like it. It's dangerous and you don't know what could be there waiting for you." said Nidalee, trying to change his mind again.

"That's why we have to do this, so we know what we're up against. And, I... I have to see for myself. Besides if we have more information on our enemies then we stand more chance of winning." said Rengar.

Nidalee grumbled a bit but in the end conceded. He was right. "Fine, but you aren't going alone. I'm coming with you."

"Nidalee, I'm sorry but it'll be easier on my own. My active camouflage can hide me should anything go wrong. I won't risk your life for anything."

He was right, again. Nidalee knew this. If he somehow gets detected, his camouflage lets him leave without a trace, but if she gets spotted, there's nothing that can hide her. She knew this, but it doesn't mean she could accept it.

"But-" started Nidalee.

"Ooh, I can help!" interjected Wukong. "I can turn invisible so sneaky stuff is no problem for me!"

Rengar and Nidalee just raised their brows as though thinking he was joking, when they realised he wasn't, Nidalee turned to Rengar and said, "Well then, that settles it. You and Wukong will do this scouting mission, Ahri and I will go on ahead to Omikayalan."

"Yes ma'am!" saluted Wukong mockingly.

Nidalee just rolled her eyes, turned to Rengar and said, "If you see him, promise me you won't do anything stupid. If you die, I'll kill you."

Rengar laughed heartily, but her stern no-nonsense expression wiped the smile off of his face and he just sheepishly replied, "Yes, I promise."

Wukong was still laughing though, until Ahri got his attention and said, "That goes for you to monkey-brain. Don't get yourself killed."

"No worries! This'll be easy!" was his reply.

"Remember you need to be back before they attack." reminded Nidalee, and giving Rengar a kiss, they each departed in their separate ways.

* * *

"Okay we're getting close now. From here on we'll need to be invisible." stated Rengar.

Wukong just looked shocked and said, "What do you mean? I'm already invisible!"

The phrase 'are you fucking kidding me' was plastered all over Rengar's face. A moment later, Wukong burst out laughing and said, to Rengar's annoyance, "I'm just kidding, ahah. Man you shoulda seen your face!"

 _Yep. I'm gonna punch him._

"If you're done. We need to go." and with that Rengar activated his active camouflage, shimmering away into invisibility.

"Coool." said Wukong as he too turned invisible.

Rengar sighed in relief and whispered, "Let's go."

"Hey, the Kinkou Monastery is up ahead." said Wukong.

"Then that's where we're going."

Slinking to the treeline, they saw the majesty of the monastery, but surrounding it was an ominous red mist. Since Wukong couldn't see him, as Rengar stopped at the treeline, Wukong walked straight into him. Turning around in annoyance, Rengar muttered, "Watch where you're g- Nevermind."

"Woops!" whispered Wukong. Rengar couldn't see it, but he could've sworn he could feel the grin on Wukong's face.

"Whatever let's just go."

Now that they're out of the cover of the forest, Rengar felt very exposed. Although his active camouflage kept him invisible, being in a wide open space was disconcerting. There were too many angles where attacks could come from, and so he found himself constantly looking over his shoulders. Every so often he'd stop and look around because his instinct told him someone was watching them. And each time he stopped, Wukong bumped into him with an 'oof'. Finally past his tolerance level, Rengar pushed him in front and just said, "Go".

With his infrared-vision, he could see where Wukong was, however the red mist around the monastery was obscured everything past about twenty metres. Still, this just meant that they'd need to get closer which was the plan anyway.

"Hey, we're not really gonna walk through the front door are we?" asked Wukong. "I mean they're enemies right?"

"Have you got a better idea?" asked Rengar.

"Yeh, there's an underground tunnel north of here which leads straight to the living quarters of the monastery."

"Why didn't you say anything before?!" asked Rengar incredulously. But before Wukong could answer he dismissed it and said "Nevermind just go."

They stalked back to the treeline, and moved their way north. It wasn't very far but it wasn't in the open which Rengar was thankful for.

Not long after they reached am abandoned little outhouse, it was barely standing. Between the decay of the wood and the weather, all that was left was a wooden frame with small parts of the walls. However, the one part of the structure that wasn't damaged was a trap door in the ground. It was barely visible, hidden beneath all the detritus, but Wukong knew where it was. The two of them dropped their invisibility and approached it.

"How do you know this leads to the monastery?"

"Every monastery and temple in Ionia had an underground tunnel constructed when Noxus invaded. A couple of years ago I got bored and curious so I went and searched for one." explained Wukong. "You ready?"

When he looked up, he saw Rengar looking around him into the air, he seem to be concentrating on looking for something. "Rengar, you alright buddy?"

The words got Rengar attention and he shook it off and replied, "Yeh, yeh I'm fine. Let's go". Though he still looked over his shoulder because he still has this nagging feeling that something's wrong, like there's someone there, like...

 _Somebody's watching._

* * *

Within the Kinkou Monastery, several masked figures gathered behind a seated man, similarly masked, as he observed a scene in front of him. One of the cloaked figures had created a circle of red talismans much like his portals. However in this one, they were able to remotely view an individual and the one that seated man's eyes are trained on is a white humanoid lion.

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this but you've made your choice haven't you, Rengo. My memories really would have preferred you to live, what a shame, not that I care either way. You and you, let's go and greet our guests."

* * *

Rengar closed the trap door as they descended the tunnel. Rengar's false eye had night vision which allowed him to see in the total darkness of the tunnel. It was unneeded however as after a moment of rummaging around, Wukong found what he was looking for. A matchbox and a torch.

"I stashed this here the last time I came for when I got curious again. The tunnel is pretty long, but it's straight. There's a ladder at the end which leads up to the living quarters." explained Wukong.

"Let's go."

It was a pretty long walk, or at least it felt further than it should've been. The darkness of the tunnel and its straightness gave the illusion of unending continuity. One extensive trek later, they finally saw the end and indeed there was a rope ladder which led to another trap door. But what was strange was the fact that there was a hole in the back wall behind the ladder.

"Well that wasn't there before..." mused Wukong.

They moved closer to see where the hole led and was surprised to see a door. It must've been preserved by magic since it was completely intact without a single mark of decay on it. Rengar used his infrared vision to see if there might be anybody inside but he saw nothing. He tried to check for movement in the monastery above him as well, but the thick layer of earth blocked any possible heat signatures. He lightly tapped the ground and the door to check for traps and satisfied that there weren't any, he slowly pushed the door open. Once it was fully open, he motioned for Wukong to pass the torch and they carefully walked inside. It wasn't a particularly interesting room, to say the least. It was completely bare, dirt walls on all sides and there was nothing inside, except for one singular alter right in the middle. The alter didn't even look very stable, as it wasn't fixed into the ground. It was like someone took an alter and just placed it here.

"This must be where the seal was." concluded Rengar.

"I've gotta be honest, for all the effort someone made to make this room secret, they sure didn't put any effort into the actual room." noted Wukong. "Ooh, maybe there's another door!" and so he began to search every wall to see if there was anything there. Rengar just sighed but looked around as well. Wukong leapt onto the alter to try and check out the ceiling, but the alter seemed to topple and so with his monkey reflexes, Wukong dropped down and caught the alter before it hit the ground. He tried to set it back in place but was stopped by Rengar because something caught his eye. Beneath the alter was a small hole, no wonder it didn't look stable, it wasn't. Reaching in, Rengar found a piece of folded paper and taking it out, he saw two words written on the top. Two words that made his heart stop for a moment. ' _My son._ ' It was his father's handwriting.

Before he could open it and read any further, he felt a light breeze ruffle his fur. Instantly knowing what was wrong, he pocketed the paper and grabbed Wukong. "We need to leave, now!"

If there was a breeze in the room, then that means one of the entrances to the tunnel had been opened. They ran down the tunnel but stopped immediately when a red piece of paper drifted into view. It was rectangular and had a strange marking on it, like strokes from a paintbrush. The instant it flashed red, Rengar turned and tackled Wukong to the ground, just as the explosion set off. They both groaned from the force of the explosion and as they stood up, more explosion sounded from down the tunnel. Soon the sound of explosions was accompanied by the rumbling sounds of the tunnel collapsing. They knew they had to get out soon or else they'd be buried alive.

"Run!" shouted Rengar, as he saw more red talismans flying towards them each detonating and destroying a portion of the tunnel.

"They know we're here!" shouted Wukong.

"Well no shit!" Rengar shouted back.

"No! I mean they'll be waiting at the exit!"

"It's either fight our way out or be buried alive, now come on!"

"I have another idea!" shouted Wukong with a grin on his face, and before Rengar could even asked what, he felt a sharp sting from his arm. Wukong had plucked a bit of fur from him.

"I swear to god I'm gonna kill you if we make it out! This is no time for jokes!" shouted Rengar angrily.

Wukong just grinned and plucked a bit of fur from his own head and then turned with that wide grin and said, "Trust me."

They reached the ladder and began to climb just as the explosions caught up to them. They barely made it out of the hole before the talisman detonated and then blasted them several feet. After rolling to a stop they both groaned, stunned from the impact and when they looked up, there were two figures standing in front of them.

"Well isn't this a surprise." said the man in front, rather mockingly. "Grab him." he said, pointing at Wukong still on the ground.

The other figure swiftly moved to where Wukong was and lifted him up placing a blade at his neck. It was a strange blade, it was huge and it seemed to be attached to an arm brace not unlike his own. The first man, the man that sounds just like his father, walked closer to Rengar who had barely got a knee off the ground. He grabbed Rengar's mane with one hand and looked at him. He seemed to look right through him and after a minute or so he said with a tone of amusement, "I'm an open target, defenseless! Your blade is right there, why don't you strike? Oh, I see! You must be feeling the emotion of hope right now. Hope that your father will come back to you, that he can be saved. Well I'm sorry to say but your father is long gone. This body is just a shell with some memories inside. The soul has long since been suffocated, excruciatingly and painfully. Oh how his soul screamed and screamed. He tried very hard you know? He tried so hard to resist but in the end he broke, just like so many others."

The provocation finally got to him and Rengar lashed out with his blade, but the man just caught his wrist, twisted it and forced the blade out of his hand. "I'm going to kill you and then I'm going to stop you." growled Rengar.

"An empty threat. How quaint. This hope you have of winning, or even surviving is adorable if not disgusting. This is why I will succeed. Kill him." he said, waving his arm. He then grabbed Rengar's jaw and forced him to look towards Wukong.

"No, stop!" Rengar shouted but to no avail. The man removed his blade from Wukong's neck and instead thrusted it into his back and through his heart. Wukong made a gagging sound as the blade poked out through his chest. However, at that moment, Wukong grinned and disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

"What?!" exclaimed the man, composure faltering. He turned and looked at Rengar who was now also grinning.

"We'll beat you." said Rengar.

"No. You won't." came the reply as the man placed his own blade underneath Rengar's jaw and thrusted it up into the head. Rengar along with the blade all puffed out of existence as well.

"Grrrargh!" screamed the man. "He's made his choice, now I attack. Memories be damned, slaughter them all!"

* * *

Far past the treeline, Rengar and Wukong shimmered out of invisibility with Wukong laughing vigorously and even Rengar chuckled. It was admittedly quite a successful plan.

 _Clones, who'd have guessed!_

Unfortunately, they didn't obtain any useful information. Only that there's at least one more dominated by him, making a total of six so far, and whatever the message entails. Rengar still couldn't shake his uneasiness from watching what used to be his father, kill him in such a mercilessly brutal manner. Even though it was a clone, it was identical to him and his 'father' didn't hesitate for a moment.

 _I guess he really is gone..._

* * *

Sat upon the throne of a ruined nation was a ruler in black iron armour. His gauntletted hand rested on the handle of his mace which stood upright on floor and his helmetted head rested on his other fist propped up by his elbow. He had grown tired and impatient of interrogating countless denizens of the undead for the whereabouts of the Chain Warden. The Chain Warden is never away from his job, torturing the souls of the damned; perpetual screams always filled the air like music. It was a song of suffering that rivalled the Deathsinger's own hymns of death. However, for the past month or so no sound could be heard from the dark dungeon where the Warden conducted his business. At first he was thought to be on the hunt for some exotic soul but then the silence grew longer as time passed.

Mordekaiser hated the silence.

After all the interrogations, the only information he had was a red Kalista met with him and turned him red. The undead can be so difficult and Mordekaiser was on the verge of rampaging through the isles, destroying something, anything, to let out his frustration, so he figured he might have some fun with the current spirit he's addressing. In life, the spirit had once been a nobleman in Demacia, and he died after a visit from one sadistic succubus. It killed both him and his wife leaving his young daughter alive and terrified, or so the spirit's memories showed. Souls of the dead have limited memory pertaining to their life, often they all forget who they had once been. Only the most traumatising of memories or the most precious happy memories remain, but in the Shadow Isles, those happy memories are quickly buried beneath aeons of torment and suffering. It seemed the only memory this spirit has was of his death, so Mordekaiser decided to show him his death on repeat. In wisps of Black Mist, the spirit relived his death over and over again. Mordekaiser relished in the screams, it was a welcome sound filling the silence, but he knew he could never reproduce the same exquisite screams that the Chain Warden can create. This was a cheap imitation in comparison. He simply didn't have the patience for it.

Suddenly, the door burst open and in a swirl of Black Mist, an abomination of man and steed, strode in. Annoyed at the interruption, but wishing to hear the report all the same, Mordekaiser dismissed the spirit with a wave of his hand and the spirit dissipated.

"Speak." ordered Mordekaiser.

"The Chain Warden has been located. He is under a powerful curse inflicted upon him by Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance." Mordekaiser noticed an audible spitting of the word 'Kalista', or as close to spitting as an apparition can produce. Ignoring the fact, Mordekaiser motioned for Hecarim to continue. "The curse is currently operating in the island nation known as Ionia. There are others among the living also afflicted with the same curse, and all of them are controlled by one man.

"FINALLY! It's time I punish this person audacious enough to cross me. The Harrowing comes early this year." Mordekaiser laughed a terrifyingly dreadful laugh as the black mist thickened around him, the throne room and the entire Isles.

* * *

 **A/N: So, first of all, sorry this is late. I have a general idea of where I want the story to go, I just haven't quite figured out all the finer details yet and this chapter went through multiple changes and rewrites. In any case, I hope that you enjoy this! As always criticisms and comments are welcome.**

 **P.S. To Joseph94, I just wanna thank you for always reading and commenting because it's always encouraging to know that there's at least one person who enjoys what I'm writing. So thanks! ^-^**


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